For the most part, the pecking order in the 2026 NFL Draft running back class remains unsettled. And one under-the-radar prospect who could throw a wrench in the equation is Washington’s Jonah Coleman.
Coleman has produced at multiple Power Four programs, and he returns as one of the most efficient runners in the 2026 class. But what specifically does Coleman bring to the table as a player, and what could his projection be, looking forward?
Jonah Coleman Boasts Translatable Skill Set Beneath Promising Production
There won’t be another Ashton Jeanty in the 2026 NFL Draft, or for the next 10 drafts in all likelihood. But if you were a fan of Jeanty’s stylistic tendencies, you might find a “Jeanty super-lite” type of runner in Coleman.
Coleman was similarly unheralded as a runner, despite eye-catching high school production. He averaged almost 10 yards per carry across his career, and he dominated to the tune of almost 1,600 yards and 31 touchdowns in his final season at Lincoln High School in Stockton, Calif.
A three-star recruit, Coleman would join Jedd Fisch and suit up for the Arizona Wildcats in 2022 and 2023, and it wasn’t long before he distinguished himself in the rotation. He flashed promise in his first season, and accrued 1,154 total yards from scrimmage in his second, averaging almost seven yards per carry on the ground.
In the 2024 offseason, Fisch swapped allegiances from Arizona to Washington in the wake of Kalen DeBoer’s departure for Alabama, and Coleman was one of several Wildcats standouts to follow him north.
Coleman’s loyalty to Fisch and the scheme was rewarded in 2024, as the former became one of the Big Ten’s best backs, amassing 1,053 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on just 193 carries.
Coleman has the second-highest analytical score in the early 2026 NFL Draft RB class, per PFSN’s Mark Stolte, and the path is largely clear — at least behind Jeremiyah Love — for Coleman to rise in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Coleman’s Deep Dive: How Does the Washington RB Win?
On the on-paper assessment, Coleman’s production and size profile (5’9″ and 229 pounds) immediately intrigue. He’s a dense, compact, and low-to-the-ground runner who’s never struggled to put up plus numbers.
To get a barometer on Coleman’s game and how he projects, let’s take a closer look at his performance against USC last season. Versus the Trojans, Coleman touched the ball 25 times (most all season) and put up 121 total yards and two TDs.
Both of his touchdown runs were impressive, but the one below, in particular, communicates well. In spite of his size, Coleman’s high-level foot speed, lateral agility, and twitch are all visible. Those traits can help him evade early contact threats, while his surprising hip fluidity enables him to weave through the second level.
I have a feeling that as I get a more concrete grade on him, Washington RB Jonah Coleman is going to rise up my 2026 NFL Draft board.
Still gauging his speed and burst, but he’s got the foot speed, hips, and “energizer” cylindrical quickness to go with his strength and leverage. pic.twitter.com/l19hWT2DIO
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 19, 2025
Coleman’s combination of natural running leverage, play strength and targeted physicality, and short-area quickness can be devastating for defenders 1-on-1, and he weaponizes that blend of tools with superb vision, processing ability, and reaction speed.
Below, you once again get to see that pairing of mental acuity and physical quickness favor Coleman. It’s a 1st-and-10 run where Washington is backed up in their own end zone. Coleman seamlessly presses and baits the frontside LB out to the C-gap, then veers inside and finishes forward for a solid gain.
You won’t see a ton of explosive runs from Jonah Coleman, but with his quickness and shifty short-area agility, he ultimately excels at pressing and baiting LBs outside of gaps, then redirecting and finishing forward. A great skill set for reducing down distance. pic.twitter.com/99Er1hrlEP
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 20, 2025
Some running backs are one-speed runners who lack setup variation, but that’s not the case with Coleman. He’s one of the shiftiest and most adaptable RBs in the class when it comes to processing and creating space, readjusting his alignment, and capitalizing.
Projecting to the NFL, Coleman’s ability to use his set-up space efficiently, create space with gap manipulation, and realign with effervescent twitch and agility is extremely translatable. But there’s also a clear ceiling for Coleman within another lens.
While Coleman is well-built and undeniably quick and fluid, he’s not the most explosive athlete. That shows up both on the lateral and vertical planes. The play below is one such example.
Coleman makes a read defender miss with his agility, but lacking the necessary explosive range, he isn’t able to get past the crashing cornerback and threaten for the boundary.
These are the kinds of plays where I call Jonah Coleman’s maximum lateral range and explosion into question just a bit.
Makes the read DE miss, but isn’t quite able to get a favorable angle on the CB crashing down as he works to the boundary. pic.twitter.com/1wtcY9GNrh
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 20, 2025
Coleman’s short-strider mold undoubtedly helps with his recalibration quickness, foot speed, and play pace, but it also hurts his range as a long-track accelerator. And when he doesn’t have very good natural explosive capacity to begin with, it limits the amount of situations in which he can generate big plays.
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On the play below, you can see how these positives and negatives coalesce for Coleman. His quickness allows him to offset defenders, bait them into gaps, and set himself up for physical-forward finishes through solo tackles, as his energetic leg churn presses him forward at optimal pad level.
At the same time, however, Coleman doesn’t have the explosiveness to rocket through gaps and force the defense to shift directions. Defenses, for the most part, can play down to him in the box without the worry of vertical exposure.
For his size, Jonah Coleman’s quickness is one of his best traits. Uses that quickness to off-set defenders, bait into gaps, and set up tacklers for forward finishes. Triple threat.
But at the same time, his lack of elite explosion makes it easier for defenses to close the lid. pic.twitter.com/ddq4zbyHLI
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 20, 2025
In a way, Coleman’s lack of high-end explosion or speed makes his efficiency as a producer even more impressive. He doesn’t have the abundance of breakaway runs to inflate his metrics. Instead, he’s one of the most consistent processors and spatial operators in the class, with a complete size-leverage-agility profile that underpins his game.
You’re not going to get a lot of 20+ yard bursts with Coleman, but you’re also not going to get too many losses or neutral runs.
He’s mostly reliable at exceeding that golden four-yard mark, and with his size in addition to his polish, Coleman can be a solid volume back.
Coleman also has some value in the passing game. His receiving game won’t be broadcast at an overwhelming strength, but at the very least, he makes himself available on flag routes, swing routes, and screens. Coleman also flashes good hand-eye coordination on RAC adjustments.
Jonah Coleman isn’t a high-volume receiver. He doesn’t have a vast route tree, and he fights the ball sometimes on higher catches, but he has at least shown he can make these kinds of RAC adjustments and spin up for decent gains. pic.twitter.com/eJVQOe9mOV
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 20, 2025
Additionally, he’s a stalwart pass protector. While there are times when Coleman can be caught lurching and overreaching on account of his lacking height and length, he’s a combative pass blocker with great stunt vision, technique, and physicality at the point.
Love to see Jonah Coleman stay alert and active in pass protection, shift focus, reposition, and slab the wide-alignment rusher.
He gets caught lurching at times, but overall, he’s competitive as a pass blocker. pic.twitter.com/H32Q8NJYxB
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) June 20, 2025
Overall, Coleman profiles as a high-floor runner with suitable three-down utility. Where does that place him in the 2026 NFL Draft class?
Athletically, Coleman won’t stack up against talents like Love and Nicholas Singleton, nor is he as versatile in the passing game. And runners like Quintrevion Wisner, Makhi Hughes, and Kaytron Allen might also be more explosive than Coleman.
Coleman is closer to average than elite with both his speed and burst, and that does put a cap on his ultimate ceiling. But at the NFL level, skills like angle recognition and space creation are invaluable. Coleman has those skills, and he has the agility to weaponize them, as well as the physicality to capitalize after gaining angle advantages.
Without elite overarching athleticism, Coleman might be confined to the middle rounds, or Day 2 range at best. But in that range, he can be a true steal and an eventual volume ball carrier with inbuilt schematic versatility.