This is the second in a series of NFL Draft previews assessing the Broncos’ positional needs.
Broncos’ in-house offseason moves: Re-signed J.K. Dobbins to a two-year deal worth up to $20 million; re-signed Jaleel McLaughlin to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal; re-signed Tyler Badie to an exclusive-rights free-agent deal; re-signed fullback Adam Prentice to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal; re-signed Cody Schrader, Deuce Vaughn to futures deals
Under contract: Dobbins, RJ Harvey, McLaughlin, Badie, Prentice, Schrader, Vaughn
Need scale (1-10): 8. Gang’s all back. Some might view that as a good thing, given that the Broncos had a legitimately top-tier rushing attack before Dobbins suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 10. Some might view that as a bad thing, given that the Broncos’ run-game consistency crumpled after that Dobbins injury. Regardless, head coach Sean Payton acknowledged at league meetings in Arizona earlier this month that running back “could be a position that gets addressed, if the opportunity presents itself.”
The opportunity will present itself in this draft class, where there’s a thin top-end group beyond Notre Dame standout Jeremiyah Love but several intriguing Day 2 and 3 fits for Denver. Whether it’s simply a complementary upgrade from Badie and McLaughlin or a potential top-end back, the Broncos need to add more depth to this room, given Dobbins’ injury history.
Top Five
Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Love might just be the best overall prospect in this draft, given both the quality of his profile and the steep drop-off in the crop behind him. He finished third in Heisman voting after racking up 1,652 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns in 13 games in 2025, and ran a 4.36 40-yard-dash at the combine at 212 pounds. Plus, he’s got fairly low tread on the tires after spending much of his career at Notre Dame in a time-share. Don’t be surprised if a team swings on him in the top five in Pittsburgh.
Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
That’s right — two backs from Notre Dame at the top of this group. Price seemed like a potential fit for Denver at pick No. 30, before the Broncos jettisoned that in the Jaylen Waddle trade. There’s almost no chance Price falls to the bottom of the second round, after rising consistently through the pre-draft process. What hurts his value is the utter lack of pass-catching (15 total catches in three years at Notre Dame) and pass-protection production, but the upside as a runner is real: 674 rushing yards on six yards a carry with 11 touchdowns last year for the Fighting Irish.
Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas
Hello! Washington Jr. floated early in the pre-draft process as a Day 3 name, suddenly charmed the masses with a position-leading 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine, and now could rise all the way into the second round in a thin RB group. He’s a heck of an athlete, with a 39-inch vertical at 223 pounds, and combines straight-line speed and heft unlike any back in this class. The problem, for Denver: he gave up seven pressures in 81 pass-blocking snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Still, the sheer upside is tantalizing at pick No. 62.
Jonah Coleman, Washington
Coleman checks almost every box as a complementary back. He hardly fumbled in college. He ran for 15 touchdowns in 2025. He produced yards-after-catch value out of the backfield. He tackles pass protection with aplomb. There may not be a better on-paper fit next to Harvey and Dobbins than Coleman in this class, and the Broncos have done plenty of homework on him. Coleman, though, could reasonably fall in the no-man’s-land between Denver’s No. 62 and No. 108 picks, possibly necessitating a Day 2 trade to nab him.
Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
Johnson profiles as a short-yardage complementary bruiser who could rise to an eventual bell-cow back in the NFL. After a couple of years of complementary production at Nebraska, he broke out with a Big Ten-leading 1,451 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025. He’s a proven threat out of the backfield, too, with 46 catches last year. The top-end speed is limited, though, for a back who weighed in at the combine at just 202 pounds.
More Broncos options
Kaelon Black, Indiana
There are plenty of similarities here to McLaughlin, actually. Black was a former two-star recruit out of high school who played four years at James Madison with middling production, transferred to Indiana in 2024, didn’t play much his first season, and suddenly busted out with 1,040 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns for the national-champion Hoosiers this past year. He’s a grinder, and Payton loves grinders. The Broncos had Black on a top-30 visit. If the Broncos want to look at other positions in the second and fourth rounds, Black could still be waiting in the seventh.
Nick Singleton, Penn State
Upside. Singleton has red marks galore across his profile: he ran for just 4.5 yards per carry in an underwhelming 2025 season and then broke his foot at the Senior Bowl, which has tanked his stock. If teams believe his 2024 tape is real, though — when Singleton ran for 6.4 yards a carry and caught 41 passes for five touchdowns out of the backfield — he could be a Day 2 riser. There’s tantalizing raw athleticism here, and Singleton would bring a different profile to Denver’s room, at 6-foot-0 and 219 pounds.
J’Mari Taylor, Virginia
The athleticism doesn’t pop here. Taylor measured at 5-foot-10 and 199 pounds at the combine, and ranked at the back of the running-back pack in vertical and broad jump. He could provide immediate third-down value, though, with 43 catches in 13 games in 2025, and ran for 14 touchdowns for the Cavaliers last season. Wouldn’t be a sexy pick, but would be a good fit for the Broncos’ current room.
Adam Randall, Clemson
Here’s one of the more interesting prospects in this running-back crop. Randall was a decently productive depth receiver for three years at Clemson, moved to running back for his senior season, and promptly ran for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the Tigers’ backfield. He could become a true bruiser, at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, and brings ready-made receiver skills. Randall’s done a Zoom with Denver; this would be a low-risk, high-upside play on Day 3.
CJ Donaldson Jr., Ohio State
If Denver wants a big-bodied hammer to take short-yardage workload off Dobbins and Harvey’s plates, look right here. Donaldson stands 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, and has run for 10-plus touchdowns in each of his last three seasons between West Virginia and Ohio State. His upside at the NFL level will hinge on his growth as a receiver out of the backfield.
