The Mock Drafts have been running for months and most commonly predict the Vikings to use their first-round pick on the defensive side of the ball. But if there's one thing that's certain about the NFL Draft … it's that nothing is certain. So in leading up to this year's three-day event that begins with Round 1 on April 23, 2026, we're previewing prospects by position groups (all except quarterback, where the Vikings have four players on the roster, and specialists, where the Vikings have a trio of All-Pros). This draft prospect series will include rankings by national outlets, stats and background information for a bounty of prospects.
First up is running back, a position the experts see as having one person who checks every box — Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love — followed by some quality Day 2 options and a little thinner depth than usual later in the draft. Many draft pundits consider Love's teammate, Jadarian Price, as the No. 2 RB available.
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Vikings status at running back
The three-leading rushers in Minnesota's 2025 running backs room are under contract for '26: Jordan Mason (758 yards and 4.8 avg.), Aaron Jones, Sr. (548 and 4.2 avg.), and Zavier Scott (114 and 3.6 avg.).
Jones, 31, is the eldest and the most accomplished having surpassed 10,000 career scrimmage yards. He's a three-down back in that he's quick to hit the hole, alert when running routes and a smart and willing pass protector. Although he's not a consistent home-run threat any longer and injuries dinged his availability last season, Jones has an invaluable role on the Vikings roster, bringing leadership and energy.
Bigger-bodied and much more a tackle-breaker, Mason a.k.a "JP" (his middle name is Ponchez), doubled his old highwater mark for touchdowns in a season with six in 2025 after coming over from the 49ers via trade. Mason only started five contests during his debut Vikings campaign, but he flashed enough vision and pop to potentially warrant a bulked-up role. He averaged 75.2 yards and 5.1 per attempt in his starts.
Scott, 26 and two months younger than Mason, was a fun-and-feel-good story in 2025, making the 53-man roster out of training camp and his NFL debut after spending a portion of 2023 on the Colts practice squad and 2024 in that capacity for Minnesota. His college background at receiver and his elite work ethic helped him prove he belonged as a versatile change-of-pace back and a busy bee on special teams.
Last season, the Vikings also employed Cam Akers, Ty Chandler and fullback C.J. Ham in the backfield. The latter retired last month after a truly improbable and spectacular decade playing for his hometown franchise. Akers was a September addition and finished '25 with the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks — he's ping-ponged across the league and suited up for Minnesota in each of the past three seasons. Chandler, a 2022 fifth-rounder, signed with New Orleans in free agency once his rookie contract expired.
Fast stats
Minnesota improved its rushing yards before contact per carry to 1.60 in 2025, the best mark in four seasons under Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and almost a half yard more than the season prior (1.22), indicating it got a greater push at the point of attack. The unit also registered its highest team rushing success rate (42.4%) under O'Connell, per Next Gen Stats, and by far its most rush yards over expected (plus-205; 13th overall). It had plus-1 RYOE in '24 (21st), minus-93 in '23 and minus-80 in '22 (both 27th).
Expert Rankings
Leaning into the prospect leaderboards from some popular draftniks — Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks of NFL Media, Mel Kiper, Jr., of ESPN, and The Athletic's Dane Brugler, proprietor of "The Beast" — we've gathered rankings for the "Top 10" running backs. Additionally, in an effort to widen the scope, we've included snapshots of all the runners explored by Pro Bowl RB turned analyst Maurice Jones-Drew.
Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).
School: Notre Dame | Age: 20 | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 212 pounds
2025 stats: 199 rushes, 1,372 yards (6.9 avg.), 18 TDs; 27 catches, 280 yards (10.4 avg.), three TDs
Career: 433 rushes, 2,882 yards (6.7 avg.), 36 TDs; 63 catches, 594 yards (9.4 avg.), six TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Bucky Brooks: RB1
Dane Brugler: RB1
Daniel Jeremiah: RB1
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB1
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB1
Well-above-average: The second runner-up for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, Love presides over the Fighting Irish's all-time chart for yards per carry, with 6.7 (min. 200 attempts). Some notable RBs he bested are Audric Estime (6.2; 4th), Jerome Bettis (5.7; 8th), Ricky Watters (5.6; 9th) and Kyren Williams (5.1; 20th).
School: Notre Dame | Age: 22 | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 203 pounds
2025 stats: 113 rushes, 674 yards (6.0 avg.), 11 TDs; six catches, 87 yards (14.5 avg.), two TDs; 12 kickoff returns (37.5 avg.), two TDs
Career: 280 rushes, 1,692 yards (6.0 avg.), 21 TDs; 15 catches, 162 yards (10.8 avg.), three TDs; 22 kickoff returns (36.1 avg.), three TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Bucky Brooks: RB2
Dane Brugler: RB2
Daniel Jeremiah: RB2
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB2
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB6
The rundown: Price has great wiggle and wham! power. He also has enough speed to gain the corner on defenders — and blow past them as a kickoff returner. Price's career return average is second in CFB history (min. 20 runbacks) to former Texas A&M RB Leeland McElroy, who averaged 36.6 yards from 1993-95.
School: Nebraska | Age: 22 | Ht: 5-foot-10 | Wt: 202 pounds
2025 stats: 251 rushes, 1,451 yards (5.8 avg.), 12 TDs; 46 catches, 370 yards (8.0 avg.), three TDs
Career: 458 rushes, 2,460 yards (5.4 avg.), 15 TDs; 92 catches, 702 yards (7.6 avg.), five TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Bucky Brooks: RB3
Dane Brugler: RB3
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB3
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB2
Cracking triple digits: The Minneapolis native didn't record 100 yards rushing in a game until his 27th for the Cornhuskers when he exploded for 113 (plus 85 more receiving) against Wisconsin on Nov. 23, 2024. That was him breaking the dam, because in 2025 he notched eight such games; the only player in the country with more was Jacksonville State's Cam Cook, who had 10 and led the nation in rushing yards.
School: Washington (after Arizona) | Age: 22 | Ht: 5-foot-8 | Wt: 220 pounds
2025 stats: 156 rushes, 758 yards (4.9 avg.), 15 TDs; 31 catches, 354 yards (11.4 avg.), two TDs
Career: 552 rushes, 3,054 yards (5.5 avg.), 34 TDs; 87 catches, 838 yards (9.6 avg.), three TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Bucky Brooks: RB4
Dane Brugler: RB6
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB7
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB4
Significance of 25: Coleman played 25 games apiece for Arizona and Washington and is a Top 10 rusher for both programs in the past 20 years, producing 1,243 yards for the Wildcats (10th most since 2005) and 1,811 yards for the Huskies (8th most). His 25 rush TDs for the latter is fifth most in that span, by the way, after former Viking Myles Gaskin (57 in 52 games), Bishop Sankey (37 in 38), Jake Locker (29 in 40) and Chris Polk (26 in 40).
School: Arkansas (after Buffalo and New Mexico State) | Age: 22 | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 223 pounds
2025 stats: 167 rushes, 1,070 yards (6.4 avg.), eight TDs; 28 catches, 226 yards (8.1 avg.), one TD
Career: 587 rushes, 2,914 yards (5.0 avg.), 26 TDs; 73 catches, 470 yards (6.4 avg.), three TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Bucky Brooks: RB5
Dane Brugler: RB3
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB5
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB3
Speedy & sporty: Washington ran the 40 in 4.33 seconds and jumped extremely well at the NFL Scouting Combine, which amounted to him stunning the online draft community with a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.88 out of a possible 10. That ranks 28th out of 2,300 running backs tested from 1987 to 2026.
School: Texas-San Antonio (after Jones College) | Age: 24 | Ht: 5-foot-9 | Wt: 196 pounds
2025 stats: 151 rushes, 1,045 yards (6.9 avg.), nine TDs; 18 catches, 114 yards (6.3 avg.), two TDs
Career: 408 rushes, 2,339 yards (5.7 avg.), 27 TDs; 58 catches, 428 yards (7.4 avg.), three TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB22
MJD: RB5
A grand season: Henry sprinted past 1,000 yards for the first time at the Division-I level in his third and final season at UTSA, and he did it in a way that rivaled the presumptive RB1 in this class; gaining 6.9 yards per rush, Henry tied Love for the top average among runners with at least 150 attempts. Furthermore, Henry delivered his finest effort against his toughest opponent, logging 177 yards (11.1 avg.) in a Week 1 loss at Texas A&M. Nobody ran for more against the Aggies — no, not even Love, who went for 94 (4.1 avg.) two weeks later.
School: Penn State | Age: 22 | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 219 pounds
2025 stats: 123 rushes, 549 yards (4.5 avg.), 13 TDs; 24 catches, 219 yards (9.1 avg.), one TD; seven kickoff returns for 145 yards (20.7 avg.)
Career: 622 rushes, 3,461 yards (5.6 avg.), 45 TDs; 102 catches, 987 yards (9.7 avg.), nine TDs; 48 kickoff returns for 1,138 yards (23.7 avg.)
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB8
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB6
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB7
TDs toppled Saquon's record: Singleton housed a kickoff as a freshman, so he was responsible for 55 touchdowns in 53 career games. That total reset the Nittany Lions record established by Saquon Barkley (53 in 38 games), and plopped Singleton right behind Ashton Jeanty (56) for the second-most TDs recorded since 2022.
School: Penn State | Age: 23 | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 216 pounds
2025 stats: 210 rushes, 1,303 yards (6.2 avg.), 15 TDs; 18 catches, 68 yards (3.8 avg.)
Career: 769 rushes, 4,180 yards (5.4 avg.), 39 TDs; 70 catches, 490 yards (7.0 avg.), four TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB5
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB4
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB8
Big finish: Penn State's all-time leading rusher saved his sweetest season for last — and his sweetest game for the same. At Rutgers, in his collegiate finale, Allen scurried for 226 yards, the most by a Nittany Lion since Larry Johnson defanged defenses with rushing outputs of 257, 279, 327 and 279 within six games in 2002. The only other Penn State'r ahead of Allen's parting gift is Curtis Enis' 241 done in 1996.
School: Texas A&M | Age: 23 | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 203 pounds
2025 stats: 77 rushes, 404 yards (5.2 avg.), six TDs; two catches, three yards (1.5 avg.)
Career: 321 rushes, 1,767 yards (5.5 avg.), 22 TDs; 24 catches, 236 yards (9.8 avg.)
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB12
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB9
Rewind time: Used scantily as a receiver, Moss averaged 14.1 yards on 10 receptions in 2024, which was his most efficient season. Overall, he played nine games and racked up personal-bests in touches (131), scrimmage yards (906), yards per play (6.9) and TDs (10).
School: Wake Forest | Age: 22 | Ht: 5-foot-10 | Wt: 188 pounds
2025 stats: 179 rushes, 907 yards (5.1 avg.), 10 TDs; 28 catches, 140 yards (5.0 avg.)
Career: 558 rushes, 2,599 yards (4.7 avg.), 26 TDs; 55 catches, 424 yards (7.7 avg.), two TDs; 22 kickoff returns for 579 yards (26.3 avg.) and two TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB7
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB8
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB10
Speed Demon Deacon: Claiborne, who clocked a 4.37 in the 40 at the combine, ran behind Vikings center Michael Jurgens in 2022-23 (Jurgens played center in the former season and guard in the latter), and in 2025 he polished off his third consecutive season leading the Demon Deacons ground game, owning yearly tallies of 586 (4.3 avg.), 1,049 (4.6) and 907 yards (5.1).
School: Virginia (after North Carolina Central) | Age: 24 | Ht: 5-foot-10 | Wt: 199 pounds
2025 stats: 222 rushes, 1,062 yards (4.8 avg.), 14 TDs; 43 catches, 253 yards (5.9 avg.); one TD
Career: 575 rushes, 2,944 yards (5.1 avg.), 37 TDs; 98 catches, 882 yards (9.0 avg.), 10 TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB11
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB11
A Cavalier effort: Taylor advanced to Virginia after hitting pay dirt 15 times on the ground in 2024 for North Carolina Central. He adjusted to bigger, stronger, faster competition quickly, tying Tiki Barber (1995, 1996) and Keith Payne (2010) in 2025 for the third-most rushing TDs in one season in Cavaliers history. Taylor came within striking distance of Wali Lundy's 17 amassed in 2004 and Thomas Jones' 16 in 1999.
School: Indiana (after Maryland) | Age: 23 | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 207 pounds
2025 stats: 230 rushes, 1,120 yards (4.9 avg.), seven TDs; 17 catches, 165 yards (9.7 avg.)
Career: 711 rushes, 3,467 yards (4.9 avg.), 29 TDs; 129 catches, 1,086 yards (8.4 avg.), five TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB16
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB12
In time for title run: Hemby left Maryland and stepped right up as the starting RB for undefeated Indiana. He topped 100 yards twice — the opener and regular-season finale — and more often softened defenses with hard running so that they were susceptible to presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza's precision passing. Combined with his workload at Maryland, Hemby touched the rock 840 times since 2021, which is the third most in that timeframe behind Tahj Brooks (899) and Marquez Cooper (1,101).
School: Indiana (after James Madison) | Age: 24 | Ht: 5-foot-9 | Wt: 208 pounds
2025 stats: 186 rushes, 1,040 yards (5.6 avg.), 10 TDs; four catches, 36 yards (9.0 avg.)
Career: 443 rushes, 2,261 yards (5.1 avg.), 16 TDs; 52 catches, 473 yards (9.1 avg.), six TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB10
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB10
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB13
Turbo title mode: Black quadrupled his Hoosiers rushing totals in 2025 (251 yards in 2024) while immortalizing his and coach Curt Cignetti's Cinderella route from James Madison to national champions at IU. How good was the 1-2 punch of Hemby and Black? They're Indiana's only 1,000-yard rushers in a half-dozen years.
School: South Carolina (after Marshall, Lackawanna College, Snow College and Utah State) | Age: 26 | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 208 pounds
2025 stats: 96 rushes, 470 yards (4.9 avg.), three TDs; 19 catches, 118 yards (6.2 avg.)
Career at Utah State & South Carolina: 412 rushes, 2,315 yards (5.6 avg.), 16 TDs; 52 catches, 269 yards (5.2 avg.)
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB20
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB14
Older outlier?: Faison could wind up the oldest running back drafted since Denver selected Utah's Mike Anderson with the 189th overall pick in 2000. (That move worked out nicely for the Broncos, as Anderson ran away, literally, with Offensive Rookie of the Year honors a la 1,487 yards and 15 TDs at 27 years old.)
School: Clemson | Age: 21 | Ht: 6-foot-3 | Wt: 232 pounds
2025 stats: 168 rushes, 814 yards (4.8 avg.), 10 TDs; 36 catches, 254 yards (7.1 avg.), three TDs; nine kickoff returns for 213 yards (23.7 avg.)
Career: 172 rushes, 858 yards (5.0 avg.), 10 TDs; 84 catches, 787 yards (9.4 avg.), five TDs; 13 kickoff returns for 302 yards (23.2 avg.)
Dane Brugler: RB19
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB15
Dual-threat company: A highly recruited backup receiver for several seasons, Randall converted to running back in 2025 and became the darling of Clemson's offense. The switch catapulted him into the record books; Randall is one of four Tigers players to post 750-plus receiving yards and 750-plus rushing yards in their careers. The others are Travis Etienne, Jr. (2017-20), C.J. Spiller (2006-09) and Travis Zachery (1998-2001).
School: Pittsburgh (after Western Carolina) | Age: 21 | Ht: 5-foot-6 | Wt: 174 pounds
2025 stats: 60 rushes, 278 yards (4.6 avg.), two TDs; 23 catches, 317 yards (13.8 avg.), two TDs; five punt returns for 105 yards (21.0 avg.), one TD
Career: 494 rushes, 2,967 yards (6.0 avg.), 24 TDs; 117 catches, 1,391 yards (11.9 avg.), seven TDs; 18 punt returns for 264 yards (14.7 avg.) and two TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB25
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB 16
Escape artist: Falling in the category of you have to see it to believe it because of his small stature, Reid possesses a bigger man's mentality; he slips tackles, bounces off defenders and is inherently tough to corral in the clear. Beyond rushing/receiving skills, Reid housed one punt return in each of his seasons at Pitt. His elusiveness was unleashed in the 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl against Toledo when he dropped jaws with 13 missed tackles forced, per Pro Football Focus, while toting the rock 33 times for 169 yards.
School: Navy | Age: 22 | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 198 pounds
2025 stats: 77 rushes, 499 yards (6.5 avg.), three TDs; 51 catches, 941 yards (18.5 avg.), six TDs
Career: 169 rushes, 1,157 yards (6.8 avg.), seven TDs; 109 catches, 1,994 yards (18.3 avg.), 16 TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB9
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB17
Big play generator: The only Midshipman this century with triple-digit career catches (Damon Dixon reached 102 from 1992-94; just one person has more than Heidenreich in Navy history — Rob Taylor, with 129 in the mid-'60s), Heidenreich's YPC is the highest ever by a player with at least 100 rushes and receptions. The two seated behind him were Top 25 picks: Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers (17.3) and Syracuse's Art Monk (16.1).
School: Alabama | Age: 21 | Ht: 5-foot-10 | Wt: 209 pounds
2025 stats: 130 rushes, 504 yards (3.9 avg.), three TDs; 19 catches, 109 yards (5.7 avg.)
Career: 349 rushes, 1,596 yards (4.6 avg.), 13 TDs; 40 catches, 336 yards (8.4 avg.), two TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB15
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB18
Gridlocked: Miller logged 10-plus carries in 16 games for the Crimson Tide. He posted a YPC greater than 3.8 in just six of those contests, with his best instances of quality and quantity coming together when he blasted South Florida for 140 via 15 ops (9.3 avg.) in '24 and Vanderbilt for 136 via 22 (6.2) in '25.
School: Kentucky (after Oklahoma, Texas College, Butler Community College and New Mexico State) | Age: 24 | Ht: 6-foot | Wt: 223 pounds
2025 stats: 165 rushes, 725 yards (4.4 avg.), 12 TDs; 19 catches, 126 yards (6.6 avg.)
Career (at Oklahoma, New Mexico State and Kentucky): 375 rushes, 1,918 yards (5.1 avg.), 18 TDs; 55 catches, 604 yards (11.0 avg.), four TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB13
Mel Kiper, Jr.: RB9
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB19
Draft class tandem: McGowan teamed with Arkansas' Washington at New Mexico State in 2024 following a three-year hiatus from the Division-I level. Before leading Kentucky's rushing offense, McGowan outran Washington atop the Aggies depth chart to the tune of 823 yards (5.4 avg.), as well as 277 yards receiving; Washington had 725 (4.6 avg.) and 74 in 2024 at New Mexico State, by the way.
School: Oregon (after Western Kentucky) | Age: 24 | Ht: 5-foot-8 | Wt: 205 pounds
2025 stats: 129 rushes, 829 yards (6.4 avg.), six TDs; 19 catches, 98 yards (5.2 avg.), one TD
Career: 523 rushes, 2,950 yards (5.6 avg.), 21 TDs; 90 catches, 544 yards (6.0 avg.), four TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB14
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB20
Fast stat: Despite spending two seasons in the C-USA, Whittington produced steadily across his latter four at Oregon to position himself in the Top 15 for career attempts and rushing yards in Ducks annals. His yards (2,294) are the most since running mates Travis Dye (3,111) and CJ Verdell (2,929) concluded their careers in 2021, and his carries (406) the most since that duo managed 521 and 542, respectively.
School: Ohio State (after West Virginia) | Age: 21 | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 230 pounds
2025 stats: 96 rushes, 361 yards (3.8 avg.), 10 TDs; 15 catches, 96 yards (6.4 avg.), one TD
Career: 517 rushes, 2,419 yards (4.7 avg.), 40 TDs; 47 catches, 286 yards (6.1 avg.), two TDs
Experts' Position Rankings
Dane Brugler: RB23
Maurice Jones-Drew: RB21
A mountain of touchdowns: Donaldson boasts the nation's 8th most runs into the end zone since debuting for the Mountaineers in 2022 — and scoring six times within his first three career games. Jeanty's 50 rush TDs are the most since that launch date, followed by 45 by Michigan's Blake Corum from 2022-23 and Singleton's 45. Donaldson's 40 for West Virginia ranks fifth in program history (Steve Slaton holds the record w/ 50).
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