NFL Player News

The Chiefs selected Johnson in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 161st overall.

Johnson (5-foot-10, 202 pounds) broke out in 2025, his fourth season with Nebraska, starting all 12 games and totaling 251 carries for 1,451 yards (No. 1 in the Big Ten) and 12 touchdowns while adding 46 catches for 370 receiving yards and another three scores. While Johnson's production, lateral agility and pass-catching chops stand out, his testing numbers were merely average, though he improved on his 4.56-second NFL Combine 40-yard dash with a 4.49-second total at Nebraska's pro day. Despite falling to the fifth round, Johnson's landing spot in head coach Andy Reid's offense is intriguing, with Emari Demercado and Brashard Smith representing his most notable competition for reserve work behind new No. 1 running back Kenneth Walker. Johnson's upside case may be limited to that of a change-of-pace role behind Walker, but he'll be a solid candidate to produce with such a gig if he can secure consistent opportunities.

The Raiders selected Washington in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 122nd overall.

Washington saw limited opportunities at Buffalo and New Mexico State, but he burst onto the scene during his fifth and final year in college at Arkansas. He was named to the All-SEC Second-Team in 2025 after turning 167 carries into 1,070 yards (6.40 YPC) and eight touchdowns while adding 28 catches for 226 yards and a score across 12 games. Washington is a big back with a 6-foot-1, 223-pound frame that he used to full effect as a punishing, downhill runner, which should lead to a fair amount of touches on early downs. Ashton Jeanty is still the lead back for the Raiders, but Washington seemingly brings the thunder to the team's backfield that complements the lightning of Jeanty.

The Broncos selected Coleman in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 108th overall.

Coleman is a bruising running back at 5-foot-8, 220 pounds. He led Washington in rushing in each of his final two seasons, combining for 1,811 yards (5.2 YPC) and 25 touchdowns while adding 54 receptions for 531 yards and two scores through 25 games. Coleman is quick but he isn't fast, and he produced more than 10 yards on just 20 of his 156 carries as a senior. He didn't run the 40-yard dash this spring, either. Still, players like Coleman have clear NFL utility, especially if they can catch passes. The 22-year-old can block in the pocket and run routes in the open field, so he projects as a potential short-yardage back who will chip in on passing downs as well. Coleman will battle Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie for a role behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey in 2026.

The 49ers selected Black in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 90th overall.

This was highly unexpected. There really is a lot to like about Black following his standout showing at Indiana, but he caught only 55 receptions in six collegiate seasons and turns 25 in October. Black does look good as a pure runner, boasting a hot motor and decent speed (4.46-second pro day 40) at 5-foot-9, 211 pounds, but second-year man Jordan James remains a strong candidate to serve as the RB2 behind Christian McCaffrey for the foreseeable future.

Charbonnet (knee) will face increased competition for touches once he recovers from a torn ACL, as Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports that the Seahawks drafted Jadarian Price 32nd overall Thursday,

The Seahawks lost running back Kenneth Walker in free agency but didn't take long to draft Walker's replacement, using the final selection of Thursday's first round on Price out of Notre Dame. Charbonnet split carries with Walker during the 2025 regular season, but Walker took on a workhorse role after Charbonnet tore his ACL in the NFC divisional-round win over the 49ers. Charbonnet's recovery is likely to stretch into the 2026 regular season, but if he can regain his pre-injury form, he'll likely return to a platoon role in a Seahawks backfield that also includes Price, Emanuel Wilson and George Holani.

Holani could still have a role in Seattle's running back rotation even after the Seahawks drafted Jadarian Price 32nd overall Thursday, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Zach Charbonnet (knee) is likely to miss some regular-season action, leaving Price, Holani and Emanuel Wilson as the top healthy options in a Seahawks backfield that lost Kenneth Walker in free agency. Price had just 15 catches in three years at Notre Dame, so Holani has a clear path to carving out a role in passing situations, at least until Charbonnet returns. Holani had only two catches across 11 regular-season appearances in 2025 but added four receptions in two playoff contests.

Wilson will face increased competition for touches after the Seahawks drafted Jadarian Price 32nd overall Thursday, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

All three of Wilson, Price and George Holani could play sizable roles early in the season while Zach Charbonnet works his way back from a torn ACL. The Seahawks signed Wilson and drafted Price after losing running back Kenneth Walker in free agency. Price is untested in a workhorse role, having backed up Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame, so Seattle's likely to spread out the backfield workload between multiple options despite investing significant draft capital into Price.

Conner will likely have to settle for a reserve role in 2026, as Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports that Arizona drafted running back Jeremiyah Love third overall Thursday.

Conner started all 45 regular-season games in which he appeared over the previous four seasons, but he'll have to battle for touches in 2026 behind Love, who is expected to immediately take over as the starter for the Cardinals following a stellar NCAA career at Notre Dame. The nearly 31-year-old Conner, who was limited to three appearances in 2025 by a foot injury, also will face competition for touches from free-agent addition Tyler Allgeier and Trey Benson (knee).

Allgeier will likely have to settle for a backup role in 2026, as Arizona drafted running back Jeremiyah Love third overall Thursday.

Love is expected to immediately ascend to the top of the depth chart for the Cardinals after racking up 2,497 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns over the past two years at Notre Dame. Allgeier spent the past three years backing up Bijan Robinson in Atlanta, and Arizona's free-agent addition now will have to compete for carries with another top-10 draft pick. The Cardinals also have James Conner and Trey Benson (knee) on the roster, so even reaching last year's total of 157 touches could be tough for Allgeier if Arizona's backfield stays healthy.

The Seahawks selected Price in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 32nd overall.

If Jeremiyah Love was Notre Dame's Darren McFadden then Price was their Felix Jones, providing consistent big plays off the bench and as a kick returner. Price is not quite as athletic at 5-foot-11, 203 pounds as Jones was out of Arkansas, but the general theme of big plays off the bench is the deal with Price. The unclear early-season availability of Zach Charbonnet (ACL) gives room for Price to make an immediate impact, and upon Charbonnet's eventual return a long-term workload split can be expected between him and Price not unlike the split between Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker previously. Price also might displace Rashid Shaheed from the kick return unit after returning three of his 22 collegiate kick returns for touchdowns (36.1 yards per return).