After Jeremiyah Love, long wait expected for the second running back drafted
Love is expected to be a Top 5 pick. The second running back may not go off the board in the Top 50.
Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love is universally recognized as the best running back in the 2026 NFL draft, and a likely Top 5 pick. After Love goes off the board, expect a long wait before the second running back is drafted. The betting odds for two or more running backs going in the first round are +550, meaning more than one running back going in the first round is viewed as highly unlikely.
The second running back off the board in most projections is Love's Notre Dame teammate Jadarian Price, but few see him as a potential first-round pick, and it's possible that neither he or any other running back will go in the second round, either. Other top running back prospects include Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton of Penn State, Mike Washington of Arkansas, Demond Claiborne of Wake Forest, Jonah Coleman of Washington and Emmett Johnson of Nebraska. But none are viewed as elite prospects.
The running back position has been devalued in the NFL, but teams are still willing to use high picks on top prospects like Ashton Jeanty last year, or Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs in 2023. Love is that kind of running back prospect this year. No one else in the 2026 draft is.