There has not been a running back chosen in the top five of the NFL Draft since the New York Giants took Saquon Barkley at No. 2 in 2018. But that drought – the longest in draft history without a top-five back — may well end in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 from Pittsburgh, with the Tennessee Titans sitting at No. 4 and Notre Dame tailback Jeremiyah Love as the +145 favorite to be the choice there via DraftKings.
If you plan to bet on NFL Draft futures, check out the latest DraftKings promo code for the best offer.
We all know that running backs have been largely devalued in the NFL in recent years with more and more passing. The Raiders took Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 last year and he had a solid rookie year but didn’t get any Offensive Rookie of the Year votes or greatly help a terrible team in the grand scheme of things.
Teams have been able to find quality running backs in later rounds. Perhaps my Bears don’t win the NFC Central last year without the contributions from seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai out of Rutgers. Another seventh-rounder in Jacory Croskey-Merritt became the Commanders’ featured back. Perhaps as proof of tailbacks being devalued, one hasn’t won OROY since Barkley. The top finisher in voting last year was the Patriots’ Treveyon Henderson in third, and he was a third-round pick out of Ohio State.
The Titans, an NFL-worst 6-28 in the past two seasons, have been looking for a true No. 1 back ever since Derrick Henry left for Baltimore. They have a new head coach in defensive-minded Robert Saleh, and his offensive coordinator is former Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Tennessee already has its QB of the future in place in Cam Ward, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2025.
There is nowhere to go but up for the Tennessee offense after finishing 30th in points (16.7 PPG) and 31st in total yards per game (259.6). It marked the franchise’s worst scoring output since…
..
[ad_2]
Leave a Reply