Who Was Snubbed from Top 10 in New NFL RB Rankings by Coaches, Execs?

NFL coaches and executives voted on the top 10 running backs entering the 2026 season, and some interesting names were left off the list.

In the latest poll conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the running backs listed in the "Honorable Mention" section included Josh Jacobs of the Green Bay Packers, Kyren Williams of the Los Angeles Rams and Quinshon Judkins of the Cleveland Browns.

Other running backs who received votes were D'Andre Swift of the Chicago Bears, Javonte Williams of the Dallas Cowboys, Chase Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals, Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders, TreVeyon Henderson of the New England Patriots, and Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints.

Jacobs rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in his first year with the Packers in 2024, but he played in 15 games in 2025 and finished with 929 yards and 13 scores.

"Still a really quality back but has probably slowed down slightly," an NFC executive said. "Can still hit singles and doubles but not a lot of home runs as far as explosive plays. Still really good between the tackles."

Williams has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last three years, but he's still one of the most underrated players in the league. He racked up 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns last season while playing behind star quarterback and 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.

"Really underrated. Productive, tough as s--t, runs hard, brings the juice, has improved as a pass catcher and really good in protection," an NFL coordinator said. "Just doesn't have the high-end traits of some of the others."

Judkins ran for 827 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, proving that he can have a bright future for the Browns. He's expected to produce in a big way for a rebuilding Cleveland team during the upcoming campaign.

"Runs incredibly hard, faster in the open field than you'd think," an AFC exec said. "I think he's going to have a big year."