The last time we saw three running backs go in the first round was nearly a decade ago in 2018.
The last time we saw three running backs go in the top 25 was over two decades ago, in 2005.
The way the 2027 class is trending, those droughts appear to be ending because there are some special backs at the top of this class.
Compared to last year, the difference is starker than any other position group. All 10 running backs listed below would have been RB3 for me if they were in last year’s class. But with the current NIL landscape, there’s no telling who will ultimately declare for the draft next spring.
Positional rankings: IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB
Note: ⭐️ represents each player’s 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit
Class strength rating: 9.5/10
- Player type: Bell cow
- Early grade: Round 1
Ahmad Hardy is the most difficult back to tackle in college football. His contact balance is off the charts, and I would put it very much in the territory of Ashton Jeanty a couple of years ago. His 190 broken tackles the past two seasons between Louisiana-Monroe and Missouri were the most in college football. While there’s no one thing to his game that’s off the charts physically, he’s well above-average across the board. You see quick feet, solid long speed, and the strength to drag piles between the tackles. The only thing missing from his game so far has been work as a receiver, where he has only 14 career catches in two seasons of college football. If he can prove more capable in that regard, he becomes a first-round lock.
- Player type: Bell cow
- Early grade: Round 1
Jadan Baugh could play in the NFL tomorrow. At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, he’s a man amongst boys already at the collegiate level. His ability to get out of tight spaces for a back that size is nothing short of special. Unlike most backs his size, he also has extensive work in the passing game with 33 receptions for 210 yards and no drops last season. Baugh is yet another back who has little more to prove to become a first-rounder next spring.
- Player type: All-purpose speed back
- Early grade: Round 1
The top three backs in this class all look like future first-rounders, so there’s no shame in coming in third on this list. Kewan Lacy started his career as a backup at Missouri before heading to Ole Miss last fall for a massive breakout campaign. He racked up 1,567 yards on 306 attempts (5.1 per carry) and ran for an FBS-leading 24 scores. While slightly undersized at 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, there’s nothing undersized about his running style. He runs hard through contact, then shifts into a different gear out in the open field. He is tailor-made to be a modern space back to exploit light boxes in the NFL.
- Player type: Space back
- Early grade: Day 2
There’s not a bigger home run threat in the class right now than Isaac Brown. For his career, he averages 7.7 yards per carry on 266 attempts, with a ridiculous 8.8 yards per carry last season. Eleven of his 101 carries last season went for 20+ yards. While he’s far too slight to be a pile dragger between the tackles, give him space on the edges, and Brown turns into a windup toy. What makes him unique amongst speed backs is his ability to change directions. The way he doesn’t lose speed in his cuts is straight out of Madden 2005. On most of his big runs, he doesn’t even get touched. Obviously, he needs to get stronger to be coveted as a lead back in the NFL, but there’s still an obvious role for him if he doesn’t.
- Player type: All-purpose back
- Early Grade: Day 2
Nate Frazier is easily the best Georgia running back prospect since James Cook was pick 63 in 2022. There’s a good chance Frazier could even surpass that draft capital as he’s a much more all-around physical talent than even Cook was. At 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, Frazier runs hard. He’s got a little Isiah Pacheco in his running style in that he runs like he’s mad at the ground. And just like Pacheco, Frazier has some real-deal wheels when he gets out into the open field.
If his vision gets a little more consistent, Frazier could easily end up in the discussion with the top three in this list by year’s end.
- Player type: Power back
- Early grade: Late Day 2
Mark Fletcher Jr. is a true power back at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. While the defense was primarily responsible for the Hurricanes’ run to the National Title, Fletcher took a big step up himself in the playoffs with 499 yards on 76 carries and two scores across four games. He’s a true rumbler who’s not going to be confused for an open-field weapon anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hit big plays when given a runway. With NFL offenses trying to make defenses pay for defending with light boxes, Fletcher is the type of back who can continually drag out positive gains.
- Player type: All-purpose back
- Early grade: Late Day 2
Wayshawn Parker was fortunate to run behind two first-round offensive tackles at Utah last season, but don’t let that make you think he was solely a product of their run-blocking. As a true freshman at Washington State in 2024 he ran for 735 yards on 137 carries (5.4 yards per carry). I can assure you Wazzu wasn’t carving out freeways for him to run through. Runs like a slalom skier, gracefully weaving between holes. There’s an ease to his running style that I’m a big fan of. He looks like a slalom skier the way he patiently and gracefully weaves between holes at the line of scrimmage. After barely cracking the 1,000-yard mark last year, he should be a top-100 pick with another big season.
- Player type: ??
- Early grade: Early Day 3
Stuck behind two first-round running backs the past two seasons, Aneyas Williams actually out-produced both Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price when called upon. While that’s not exactly a fair comparison considering it was often garbage time when the reins were turned over to Williams, 7.6 yards per carry on 58 carries the past two seasons is legit, no matter when it comes.
Williams has a low center of gravity that allows him to really plant his foot and drive out of cuts. Despite presenting as more of a power back, Williams has shown good speed in the open field and has a very intriguing receiving background. As a sophomore in high school, he broke school records with 63 receptions, 1,297 yards and 24 scores.
- Player type: Receiving back
- Early grade: Early Day 3
I’m a sucker for backs with high-level footwork and receiving ability like Hollywood Smothers possesses. He is tailor-made to be a space back in today’s NFL. He had 828 rushing yards on 124 carries (6.7 YPC) and 170 receiving yards on 28 receptions in eight games before an injury hampered him down the stretch last season.
Smothers comes with obvious limitations as a sub-200-pound back, and he needs to do a better job of committing as a between-the-tackles runner, but those aren’t going to be his primary role in the NFL.
- Player type: All-purpose back
- Early grade: Early Day 3
Waymond Jordan would have been higher in this top-10 were it not for a severe ankle injury that ended his 2025 season and caused him to miss the entire spring. He is an incredibly gifted pure runner. He glides effortlessly around the field for a 210-pounder. It’s easy to see why he was the #1 junior college running back recruit in 2025 after spending three years at Hutchinson Community College. My favorite trait of his on tape is his pacing. He is very patient when setting up blocks, but then quick to put the pedal to the floor when he sees a crease. All that’s missing is a full season’s worth of workload after only 88 carries last year to feel confident about what he can do as a lead back.
Ranking all 191 first-round NFL Draft picks since 2020: Best, worst selections of the decade
Mike Renner
Three names to watch
Note: These aren’t necessarily the next three players in my rankings, but rather three prospects who caught my eye for one reason or another.
Will Henderson III (UTSA)
Will Henderson III is definitely a one-trick pony, but his trick is a special one. The man can fly. I’d call him the fastest running back I saw on tape, and his track times back that up. He has a wind-aided best 100-meter time of 10.15, with a best legal time of 10.28, set in high school. Henderson split time last season with current Commanders running back Robert Henry Jr. and looks primed to build on his 125 carries for 866 yards.
Raleek Brown (Texas)
Raleek Brown walked a winding road to Texas. He moved from running back to receiver early on in his career at USC. Then he transferred to Arizona State, where he was banged up his first season before having a breakout 1,141-yard season. Now he’s at Texas, where he can prove that his small stature won’t matter against the best in college football.
I wanted to include Brown in the top-10 because he has a legitimate case to be the best athlete in the class. His ability to stop, change directions, and accelerate is special. It’s the reason he can still be considered a top prospect at his size. The size just worried me too much at this point. While he won’t be a lead back, his real value will come as a receiver, where he can be a real threat in space.
Justice Haynes (Georgia Tech)
Justice Haynes is the poster boy for the new decision-making paradigm for running backs in the NIL era. Before, the common wisdom was to jump as early to the league as possible, but now we see mid-tier backs like Haynes trying to extend their useful shelf life at the collegiate level. He could have potentially been RB3 in the 2026 draft class, but chose to return and transfer from Michigan to Georgia Tech – his third school in three years.
Haynes was a superstar before a foot injury struck last season, going for 100+ yards in each of his first five games with the Wolverines. He has legit speed and seemingly hit a home run on a weekly basis last season. He’s tough to bring down in space with light feet and a dense build. I just wish he were a more powerful runner consistently between the tackles.
Superlatives
- Most NFL-ready: Jadan Baugh (Florida)
- Most athletic: Isaac Brown (Louisville)
- Best short yardage: Ahmad Hardy (Missouri)
- Best in space: Isaac Brown (Louisville)
- Best receiver: Rayshon Luke (Fresno State)
- Top non-Power-4: Will Henderson III (UTSA)
- If only they were bigger: Raleek Brown (Texas)
- Most experienced: Sedrick Alexander (Vanderbilt) (1,469 snaps)
