Running Back Rankings 2027 NFL Draft

40 running backs ranked

RUNNING BACK RANKINGS 2027 NFL DRAFT

Running back is a middling class, and the player at the top of it has a question hanging over him. No back reaches our top fifteen, which has also been true in three of the previous six years, though the top end is stronger than the 2022 and 2024 groups were.

Missouri's Ahmad Hardy still holds the position. He was a consensus All-American, a Doak Walker Award finalist and the SEC's leading rusher with 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was also shot in the upper leg in May and needed surgery, has not yet returned to practice, and will miss the season opener with no timeline set for his return.

Miami's Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 507 yards across the College Football Playoff, the most in its history, and was offensive MVP of the quarterfinal win over Ohio State. Georgia's Nate Frazier led the Bulldogs in rushing as a true sophomore for third-team All-SEC honours.

Only one back sits inside our top thirty-two.
LAST UPDATED: 08/03/2026

Player Rankings - Running Back

# Player Pos H/W/S Team Weight Height 40YD AVG POS RANK AVG OVR RANK Rating Summary
29

RB
Roderick
Robinson II

6-1 235lbs 4.64
RB
UAB   Mascot
UAB Mascot
235lbs 6-1 4.64 29 323
68.9
Four games, six carries, 22 yards: the 2025 season was a roster line, not a campaign, the third straight year injuries have hollowed out a...
19

RB
Keyjuan
Brown

5-10 210lbs 4.62
RB
Louisville   Mascot
Louisville Mascot
210lbs 5-10 4.62 15 184
73.4
Few backs anywhere squeezed more from their touches: 703 yards on just 96 carries, better than seven a pop, with top-tier rushing tape,...
1

RB
Ahmad
Hardy

5-10 206lbs 4.59
RB
Missouri   Mascot
Missouri Mascot
206lbs 5-10 4.59 1 27
87.4
The most violent runner in college football also turned out to be one of the most productive: 1,648 yards, sixteen touchdowns, consensus...
20

RB
Derrick
Davis Jr.

6-0 210lbs 4.56
RB
Pittsburgh   Mascot
Pittsburgh Mascot
210lbs 6-0 4.56 20 301
71.9
This is a bet on an athlete, not a tape library. Davis arrived at LSU as a four-star safety, moved to running back when injuries forced the...
16

RB
DeSean
Bishop

5-10 208lbs 4.55
RB
Tennessee   Mascot
Tennessee Mascot
208lbs 5-10 4.55 17 271
75.2
The walk-on made the record book: 1,076 yards and a team-high sixteen touchdowns, All-SEC recognition, top-tier rushing tape, and...
18

RB
Darius
Taylor

6-0 215lbs 4.54
RB
Minnesota   Mascot
Minnesota Mascot
215lbs 6-0 4.54 19 287
73.9
The three-down toolkit is closer to complete than anyone else's in this tier: thirty-four catches with receiving tape among the group's...
13

RB
Hollywood
Smothers

5-11 195lbs 4.52
RB
Texas   Mascot
Texas Mascot
195lbs 5-11 4.52 9 105.3
81.4
The skill package is the modern blueprint: an ACC rushing-yards-per-game leader with first-team all-conference honors, thirty-seven catches...
2

RB
Mark
Fletcher Jr....

6-2 225lbs 4.52
RB
Miami   Mascot
Miami Mascot
225lbs 6-2 4.52 5 51.5
86.8
January made him famous: 507 rushing yards across the College Football Playoff, the most in the event's history, including a quarterfinal...
40

RB
Braydon
Bennett

6-2 205lbs 4.50
RB
Eastern Michigan   Mascot
Eastern Michigan Mascot
205lbs 6-2 4.50 40 346
56.6
Six college seasons have built a special-teams resume and little else: four carries for eight yards across the 2025 Virginia Tech season,...
38

RB
Isaiah
Augustave

6-2 210lbs 4.50
RB
South Carolina   Mascot
South Carolina Mascot
210lbs 6-2 4.50 38 342
61.8
The 2024 season at Colorado, 384 yards as the backfield's leading rusher, remains the only real entry in the ledger: 2025 at South Carolina...
23

RB
James
Peoples

5-10 206lbs 4.50
RB
Penn State   Mascot
Penn State Mascot
206lbs 5-10 4.50 23 309
71.2
Recruiting rankings said star; the depth chart said otherwise. Peoples arrived at Ohio State as a national top-100 recruit and the...
21

RB
Quintrevion
Wisner

6-0 194lbs 4.50
RB
Florida State   Mascot
Florida State Mascot
194lbs 6-0 4.50 21 303
71.8
A year removed from a thousand-yard season, the hamstring never let him show it: injured against Ohio State in the opener, Wisner managed...

2027 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Running Back

We've compared players post combine 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.

For a much improved viewing experience (with more players) please view on a larger screen.

2027 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Running Back

We've compared players 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.