How Does the Draft Change Our Outlook on the 2026 Running Back Class? Post-Draft RB Prospect Lab Scores – Live Updates

Blair Andrews
April 25, 2026

I will be updating the Prospect Lab scores with the post-draft model results as picks come in (or shortly thereafter). Stay tuned to this space for live updates, or check here for the WR scores. And make sure you are also monitoring Kevin’s live updates in his Landing Spot Instant Reactions article.

The Running Back Prospect Lab is one of my favorite tools on the site. It’s not the most powerful or precise predictive engine — it uses a simple linear model to predict an RB’s early NFL career based on a few important college metrics — but the simplicity ends up being a benefit. It knows what to look for and isn’t often fooled by outliers.

When you include draft position, many metrics from the pre-draft model drop out. Forty time is no longer significant, and neither is a player’s competition level. However, some metrics still add signal on top of draft position. Age, weight, and surprisingly, three-cone time remain in the post-draft model. Career and final-season metrics are still significant.

The top players in the model have shifted positions slightly, but the best backs in the game are still the top scorers: Christian McCaffrey (100), Saquon Barkley (97), Ezekiel Elliott (93), and Bijan Robinson (93) round out the top four. Todd Gurley (88), Jonathan Taylor (86), Breece Hall (86), and Jahmyr Gibbs (85) land near the top of the leaderboard.

Players whose score has risen after the draft are indicated in green; those whose score has fallen are in red. If a player’s score hasn’t changed even after being drafted, I’ll indicate that with purple to distinguish them from players who haven’t yet been drafted or whose score hasn’t been updated. (Note that blurbs below players that haven’t been updated may refer to pre-draft model scores when discussing NFL comparables.)

You can find even more advanced metrics in the 2026 RotoViz Rookie Guide, along with over 90 player profiles and up-to-date rookie rankings. Get your preparation started before the NFL Draft with the RotoViz Rookie Guide. Volume 2 is out now and Volume 3 will be released shortly after the draft!

RB Prospect Lab Scores

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Blair Andrews

Managing Editor, Author of The Wrong Read, Occasional Fantasy Football League Winner. All opinions are someone else's.

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