There wasn’t so much fanfare when Michigan football managed to land former five-star running back Justice Haynes from Alabama via the transfer portal. It’s not that no one was talking, but many weren’t looking at the player and team fit, as the Wolverines are a run-first team. But even in and around Ann Arbor, much of the hype surrounded Jordan Marshall after his stellar ReliaQuest Bowl performance.
But in his first four games in a winged helmet, Haynes is the first Wolverine to ever post more than 100 yards in each. He is currently ranked No. 3 through Week 4 in yards and yards per game, behind only UTSA tailback Robert Henry Jr. and Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy.
ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. is starting to see Haynes as an early entrant in the 2026 NFL draft, and shared what makes him so special.
Michigan running back Justice Haynes is making a case to be a third- or fourth-round pick next April. He’s the son of Verron Haynes, a former Georgia running back who I scouted before he went in the fifth round of the 2002 draft to the Steelers. The younger Haynes was great Saturday against Nebraska, carrying the ball 17 times for 149 yards and a score.
At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, he plays with a low center of gravity and generates powerful leg drive. This isn’t a running back who is going to dance around behind the line of scrimmage and take a tackle for loss; he’s a one-cut-and-go runner with good body lean. But once he gets through the hole, he can be hard to catch. Haynes has four carries for 50-plus yards this season, helping him to 537 yards and six TDs through four games. The Alabama transfer also stands out as a pass catcher and blocker. He high-pointed a catch Saturday, and his ability to pass protect is evident on the tape.
If Haynes continues to play at the level he has, he’ll likely go much higher than a third or fourth-round pick. And Michigan football will likely play for much more than a lesser bowl game.
Haynes is tied with Henry in long rushing plays of 50 yards or more, with four through four weeks.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Justice Haynes earns NFL draft praise after four straight 100-yard games for Michigan
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
