CHARLOTTE — The 2026 NFL draft is now just weeks away. Teams are updating their big board every day, welcoming in prospects for visits, and evaluating their current rosters every minute of every day. Only a select few in each building know what a club might do when the first round kicks off on April 23 in Pittsburgh. But between now and then, we will take a look at every position on the field and how some might even impact the Carolina Panthers.

Rd. 1, No. 19 overall

Rd. 2, No. 51 overall

Rd. 3, No. 83 overall

Rd. 4, No. 119 overall

Rd. 5, No. 158 overall (from Minnesota)

Rd. 5, No. 159 overall

Rd. 6, No. 200 overall

Next up is running back.

Position previews are an aggregation of the opinions and analyses of various draft websites and mock drafts. These are not rankings of a position, but rather a preview of names projected across all three days of the draft. Analysis by the Panthers editorial staff does not reflect the Panthers football staff and front office.

The Panthers invested heavily in Chuba Hubbard in 2024 with a long-term extension, solidifying him as the face of this unit for the foreseeable future. An injury sidelined him for two games early in 2025, opening the door for Rico Dowdle to take the reins for a time, posting a 1,000-yard season. By season's end, though, Hubbard had reaffirmed his place as the trusted back and remains the leader of the unit heading into 2026, after Dowdle left as a free agent for Pittsburgh.

Coaches and general manager Dan Morgan both seem encouraged that Jonathon Brooks will be available this season. The former 2024 first-round pick saw limited action as a rookie, bookended by ACL recoveries. But after missing all of 2025, he is healthy and working towards a return to the field this year.

Canales, after telling reporters at the late-March NFL owners meeting that he believes Brooks will be ready for OTAs in May, added, "I'm open to whatever he wants to bring, and I know what he looked like prior to the injury. I know what that player looks like, so I have that in the back of my mind. And that's a vision that I hope he has too."

Jeremiyah Love — Notre Dame

Love is not only considered the top running back in this class, but one of the top prospects overall, with Pro Football Focus ranking him as the third-overall prospect thanks to his 93.1 grade in 2025. He is a workhorse, averaging 209 touches a year over the last two seasons. Both were 1,000-plus yard seasons as well, with 19 and 21 touchdowns respectively. His freshman season was spent behind Audric Estime, but once given the ball, he started running and never stopped.

He's 6-6, 214 pounds, and has forced 56 missed tackles, according to PFF.

Mike Washington Jr. — Arkansas

Washington capped his five-year career (and his only year at Arkansas) with his most production yet, carrying the ball 167 times for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns. The every-down back (he played 571 snaps this past season) also brought in a career-best 28 receptions for 226 yards and another touchdown through the air. Ball security has popped up as an issue, but he's speedy, something he combines well with his powerful running style.

Emmett Johnson — Nebraska

Of all the running backs in this year's class, none had more yards or carries than Johnson. The Nebraska Cornhusker finished with 1,451 yards on the ground, with 251 carries. He averaged the second-most yards per game in the Power 4, with 120.92 ypg. Johnson is a 5-11, 200-pound bowling ball who was in the Top 10 in missed tackles (68 total) and also has a proven ability to catch out of the backfield with 46 receptions for 370 yards.

Jonah Coleman — Washington

Coleman is an interesting prospect on paper. His best season was in 2024, with 193 carries for 1,053 yards, and he followed that with 156 carries for 758 yards in 2025. But he is a touchdown machine. He scored 17 times in his senior season: 15 on the ground and two through the air. Coleman has some of the best receiving production of backs in this class as well, thanks to 31 receptions for 346 yards.

Demond Clairborne — Wake Forest

The Virginia native is going to bring a lot of experienced depth to a running back room this draft season. His four years at Wake Forest saw him develop into a major contributor, averaging 978 yards over the last two years and 10.5 touchdowns per season.