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Dynasty Rookie Running Back Gems
Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
Emmett Johnson arrived at Nebraska as a three-star recruit from Minnesota. He was named Mr. in high school. Football because he rushed for more than 2,500 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns. He was also a two-way player, recording 85 tackles and 13 tackles for a loss as a safety. As a redshirt freshman, he played in 12 games, starting six and totaling 411 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
As a sophomore, Johnson was a change of pace who finished second on the team with 598 rushing yards on 117 carries. He also caught 39 balls and led the Huskers with 908 all-purpose yards in 2024. This foreshadowed his breakout season in 2025.
Cue 2025: Johnson exploded onto the scene for the Cornhuskers with 1,451 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 46 receptions, 370 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. He was the only consistent player on the entire team. Every time he got the ball, his elite contact balance allowed him to continually move forward and rarely lose distance during a game.
Johnson’s vision for setting up his blocks is poetry in motion. He could see every defender’s next step and make them look absolutely ridiculous with a well-timed tap or turn. This view also allowed him to avoid taking huge hits, allowing him to be a bell cow. He had eight 100-yard rushing games, often leaving teams exhausted near the end of games. In addition to his excellent running ability, his route running and catching skills made him a terror to opposing defenses. He was much more than a dump-off option; he can catch the ball in stride without losing a step.
The only glaring weakness Johnson has is pass blocking skills. He lacks the size and strength to really compete against bull rushers. Fortunately, his frame may allow him to gain some muscle and strength to be an adequate blocker when needed. His receiving ability may also be too good to keep him on the block.
Johnson may not be the fastest, biggest or strongest running back at 6-0 and 200 pounds, but his vision, lateral agility, burst, patience and receiving skills make him one of the best backs in this draft. Any creative offensive coordinator would like to improve their game to utilize their skills. He compares to former Bears running back Matt Forte in terms of his smooth running and receiving skills. I have Emmett Johnson as my RB2 behind only Notre Dame superstar Jeremiyah Love in the dynasty. Depending on where he lands, Johnson could be a top-five pick in Dynasty rookie drafts due to his dual-threat ability.
Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
Before arriving at Penn State, Singleton was named national Gatorade player of the year. He was absolutely phenomenal as a true freshman in 2022. He ran for 1,061 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, a record for Penn State freshmen. As a sophomore, Singleton developed his pass-catching and pass-blocking skills and still scored 10 touchdowns while sharing the backfield.
He had his best season as a junior, rushing for 1,099 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns to go with 41 receptions, 375 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. That great season took place while his teammate Kaytron Allen also ran for over 1,000 yards. Despite being a potential top pick returning to the NFL, Singleton returned to Penn State for his senior year in 2025.
The 2025 Nittany Lions were not a good team, despite their national championship aspirations. The only bright spots were the running backs in Singleton and Allen. Even then, Singleton had the lowest rushing yardage output of his career at just 549 yards, though he did set a new career-high with 13 rushing touchdowns. Kaytron Allen was the leading defenseman for most of the season.
Still, this doesn’t take away from Singleton’s athletic skills and physical attributes. At 6-0, 224 pounds and a reported forty-yard dash of 4.39, Singleton is an athletic freak of nature. He even broke Saquon Barkley’s Penn State record with a 655-pound squat. Should he test out at the NFL Combine, Singleton could post numbers that put him among the most athletic RBs of all time. I expect him to land in the top 10 of our Athleticism Score database, a very impressive achievement. The kind of numbers that make NFL teams and fantasy managers drool.
My player comparison for Singleton would be early career David Johnson. He will terrorize defenders with his top speed (he was once clocked at 23 miles per hour) and destroy tackle corners. If defenders do reach him, they better close in well, otherwise they will be run over.
Singleton is my RB3 behind Jeremiyah Love and the aforementioned Emmett Johnson. Singleton is a dynasty first-round pick if he lands on a team with an established quarterback and offense, but not a clear-cut RB1, like the Kansas City Chiefs or Houston Texans.
Dynasty Rookie Running Back Landmine
Jonah Coleman, Washington
Coleman came out of high school with very impressive production. He racked up 3,319 rushing yards and 58 rushing touchdowns, along with 799 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Despite those numbers, he only earned a three-star consensus rating when he entered college. He eventually committed to play for Arizona.
At Arizona, Coleman played in 25 games in two years, racking up 1,243 yards and 10 touchdowns. After those two years, he followed his head coach, Jedd Fisch, to Washington. In Washington, Coleman had a breakout season, with 1,053 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, along with 23 receptions and 177 receiving yards.
As a senior, Coleman took a step back in rushing production with just 758 rushing yards. However, he scored a career high in rushing touchdowns with 15. He also recorded 31 receptions, 354 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
These numbers sound exactly what you want in a running back dynasty, but Coleman’s tape shows a back with limited athleticism and poor pass protection skills. He won’t separate himself from defenders in the open field and he won’t get open on his own as a receiver. Coleman’s best qualities are his durability, ball security and contact balance. He can be a useful defender for a team, but he won’t be the reason his team wins.
Coleman is still the RB8 in my early dynasty rankings. But he’ll probably be drafted before I’m willing to take him in most rookie drafts. Like Singleton, he’ll be more intriguing if he lands in a high-powered offense without running back depth like the Kansas City Chiefs. But if that happens, his overall stock will rise, and he’ll probably still be drafted much higher than I’m willing to pull the trigger on.
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Jesse Baldwin is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him at X on J_Baldwin51.
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