This year’s draft only produced three running back selections over the first three rounds. Notre Dame produced two first-round picks (Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price), while an Indiana back not invited to the Combine (Kaelon Black) went to the 49ers in Round 3.
Jonah Coleman may well have joined Black as a Day 2 draftee had he been healthy throughout the 2025 season, but a knee injury limited the compact Washington prospect last year. Teams held concerns about Coleman’s knee entering the draft, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who notes this issue was a “major” factor in the former Arizona recruit falling to the fourth round.
The Broncos chose Coleman 108th overall, preparing to develop him as a presumptive long-term option alongside 2025 second-round pick RJ Harvey. Coleman’s “30” visit allowed the Broncos to examine his knee, and while Breer adds team doctors viewed it as a risk, Denver’s regime deemed it one worth taking.
Denver re-signed J.K. Dobbins in March, giving him a substantial raise ($8MM guaranteed), but the former Ravens second-rounder is a chronic injury risk. Dobbins has missed 57 career games; Coleman could be needed early if/when Dobbins — whose 2025 season ended due to a November Lisfranc injury — misses time in 2026. The Broncos, who also re-signed Jaleel McLaughlin this offseason, will hope Coleman shakes his recent knee setback.
As Coleman attempts to develop behind the Dobbins-Harvey duo, he is coming off a season that included a strained knee ligament sustained Nov. 9. The 5-foot-8 ballcarrier missed the Huskies’ following game but opted to play hurt the rest of the way. Coleman struggled in his first two games back, gaining six yards on four carries against UCLA and 22 on nine totes against Oregon. He closed the season on a higher note, totaling 85 yards on 12 handoffs against Boise State. That came in a bowl game two weeks after Washington’s regular season wrapped. Coleman finished the ’25 season with 758 rushing yards.
Despite the injury-limited section of his season, Coleman led the Big Ten with 17 touchdowns. His two 100-yard rushing performances came against nonconference competition last September, but the 2024 season featured 1,053 Coleman rushing yards in 13 games (Coleman gained 871 rushing yards in 13 Arizona games in 2023.) Weight issues also affected Coleman in college, though Sean Payton said the fourth-round rookie was in “good shape” at the team’s rookie minicamp. Coleman weighed 220 pounds at the Combine but played heavier at points with the Huskies.
The Chiefs, Seahawks and Vikings showed interest in Coleman but each ended up drafting different RBs. Seattle viewed the local product as an option in the event it completed a first-round trade-down move, but the defending Super Bowl champions chose Price at No. 32. Coleman will now get to work as an intriguing option in Denver.