Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft (April 23-25 in Pittsburgh), we’ll be taking a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions’ roster and how the team’s needs can be met on draft weekend. Today: Running backs.
Current roster outlook
The Lions’ starting running back, Jahmyr Gibbs, is currently the odds-on favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year in 2026. That’s a pretty good starting point for the room. But after losing David Montgomery in a trade with the Houston Texans, there’s more uncertainty at the position behind RB1 than there has been since Montgomery and Gibbs took over the backfield in 2023.
The Lions signed Isiah Pacheco to a $1.8 million deal in free agency, but it remains to be seen what type of role the Lions want to give their RB2 going forward, since part of Montgomery’s reduced volume was intentional. Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors are the two other competitors for the backup job. If the Lions could hit on a Day 3 running back that gives them four years of quality backup play for under $1.4 million in average annual value, that would be splendid — obviously.
But in any case, the ceiling of the Lions’ running back room as a whole probably won’t change much, no matter what happens at the draft.
Level of need: Low
At the top of the draft
This year’s running back class is fairly standard in that there’s one elite prospect at the top and not many first-round locks behind him. Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) is this year’s crown jewel, with a ceiling as high as the top five. If he falls even a little, he’ll have the potential to make two teams very happy — one that traded up to pick him later than expected, and another that landed assets in a trade back. But for the Lions at No. 17, it’s highly unlikely that comes into play.
Behind Love, the consensus is that his college teammate, Jadarian Price (Notre Dame), is the next best thing. There’s a fairly reasonable chance that he ends up going in the first round, with the Seattle Seahawks at pick No. 32 seeming like a good destination, but that possibility is far from a lock.
Teams who could be after an RB in Round 1: Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks
Down the board
If the Lions are looking for a speedy bruiser to fill Montgomery’s role, Mike Washington Jr. (Arkansas) could fit the bill. He’s 6-foot-1, 223 pounds and recorded a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine after averaging a career-best 6.4 yards per carry last season. Jonah Coleman (Washington) could also be a fit at 5-foot-8, 220 pounds; he’s coming off a down year, but ran for 1,053 yards at 5.5 yards per carry in 2024.
Emmett Johnson (Nebraska) is a hard runner coming off a terrific season in which he led the Big Ten in rushing (1,451 yards, 12 touchdowns). We can’t talk about bruisers without mentioning Kaytron Allen (Penn State), who, at 5-foot-11, 216 pounds, has earned the nickname “Fatman.” He rushed for 1,303 yards last season at a clip of 6.2 yards per carry, but the volume of carries (769) he had in college could be a concern. Allen’s college teammate, Nicholas Singleton, is another thick frame (6 feet, 219 pounds) who saw a ton of action in college; his role was diminished by Allen last season, though. After rushing for 1,099 yards (6.4 yards per carry) in 2024, Singleton had just 549 rushing yards (4.5 per carry) in 2025.
Indiana, the national champions, has a pair of running backs that are expected to be available in the later rounds. Kaelon Black is a 5-foot-9, 211-pound wrecking ball who tallied 1,039 yards for the Hoosiers last season but will turn 25 in October. Roman Hemby also hit a four-digit rushing total, turning 230 carries into 1,120 yards with seven touchdowns.
Former Cal star Jaydn Ott (Oklahoma) is coming off a pair of down years in which he battled significant injuries; he registered just 68 rushing yards in seven appearances, but has a 1,305-yard on his resume from back in 2023, when he also scored 12 touchdowns. He could be a good value for a team late on Day 3.
Georgia Southern’s OJ Arnold might not get drafted at all, but he had the highest yards per carry (7.2) of any running back in the class with at least 100 rushes in 2025, and could be worth a late flier or be a notable undrafted free agent target. Robert Henry Jr. (UTSA) also falls in that same bucket after rushing for 1,045 yards at 6.9 yards per carry last season.
Best time for Lions to target position: The Lions only have two top-100 picks and have bigger needs in the trenches and all over the defense. Never say never with general manager Brad Holmes, but a running back isn’t likely until Rounds 4-7.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions 2026 draft preview: Running backs Detroit could target on Day 3
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
