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.
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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 2014 and worst total yards since 1976. Tony Pollard had a decent year leading the backfield with 1,082 yards and five TDs, but he’s only signed through this season. There is some belief that he could be released for cap savings (about $7 million) if Love is the choice.
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The 6-foot, 215-pounder is ranked as the No. 17 overall prospect via the CBS Sports Big Board and is given an Over/Under draft spot of 4.5 with the Over at -180. Last season, Love won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top tailback, rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns. He led the FBS in total rushing TDs (35) and TDs from scrimmage (40) in the past two seasons.
Love was just the sixth player in FBS history to average 6.5 yards per rush and have at least 15 rushing TDs in multiple seasons. The last to do it was Travis Etienne in 2018-19 for Clemson. He was the No. 25 pick in the 2021 draft by Jacksonville and has had a good career thus far, earning a big-money free-agent contract this offseason from New Orleans.
Love tries to become the first Notre Dame skill position player chosen in the top 10 since 1993, when QB Rick Mirer went second to Seattle and running back Jerome Bettis went 10th to the L.A. Rams. NFL.com gives Love a comp to Detroit Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs.
I could see Love slide out of the top 10, though, if he doesn’t go fourth. Kansas City entered the offseason with a major tailback need and is sitting ninth but signed free agent and reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, so that takes the Chiefs out of needing Love. That he goes top five is -145 and top 10 at -1200. Washington is his second-favored drafting team at +215 and has the seventh pick. Again, though, Croskey-Merritt showed promise as a rookie, so tailback doesn’t seem like a major need.
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I asked CBS Sports and SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White his take on the Titans at 4: “Love seems like the most likely pick for the Titans at No. 4, but that is reflected in the odds. The connection isn’t strong enough that I would consider backing him at less than +150, and the team has hosted the top three edge rushers for visits as well. We don’t know how the Titans will rank that trio of defenders, but selecting someone at the position would certainly fit with the Robert Saleh hire as the team continues to build on the defensive side of the ball.
“I’m interested in seeing which books will offer ‘first position drafted’ markets for the Titans, and I may jump on edge in that scenario. I’d also not rule out Carnell Tate as a longshot option at +1000 or higher, as there is still a clear need to give Cameron Ward more help at the receiver position.”
Indeed, there is no first position drafted option for Tennessee yet. The O/U for running backs chosen in Round 1 is 1.5, with the Under at -1000. The No. 2 running back on the CBS Sports Big Board is down at 57 and happens to be another former Irish player in Jadarian Price. Notre Dame thus could become the first college to have the first two running backs come off the board in a draft since in 1949 (Doak Walker and Paul Page of SMU).
The fourth pick is the third-highest choice for the Titans since moving to Nashville. They took Ward in 2025 and QB Marcus Mariota at No. 2 in 2015. The player taking the most action to go fourth at BetMGM is Miami (Fla.) pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. (+500 there) with 30% of money on the prop. Love is priced +135 at that site, with Texas Tech pass-rusher David Bailey at +300 and then Bain.
I’d expect Love to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite no matter his team when that market opens. Fernando Mendoza right behind only as it’s no sure thing the expected No. 1 overall pick with the Raiders starts from Day 1 after they signed Kirk Cousins.
Picks: Titans take Love, and Under 1.5 running backs drafted in Round 1; all but a lock on the latter but also very pricy.
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