Former Washington running back Jonah Coleman is a projected Day 2 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, and there’s a number of teams who could be interested in selecting the bruising runner. Let’s take a look at nine teams who should consider taking Coleman when the draft gets underway in April.
Miami Dolphins
Miami’s 2025 rushing attack was led by De’Von Achane, who took 238 carries for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns. Backups Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright combined for 140 carries, 478 yards, and five touchdowns, but neither was nearly as effective as Achane.
Achane is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and he’s a likely candidate for extension given his production (4,334 total yards and 35 total touchdowns across three seasons). However, he stands just 5-foot-9 and 191 pounds, which can limit his effectiveness in short-yardage scenarios.
Adding Coleman on Day 2, where the Dolphins have four picks (Nos. 43, 75, 87, 90), would give Miami a reliable RB2 with a complementary skillset to Achane’s. At 5-foot-9 and nearly 230 pounds, Coleman is a monster in short-yardage scenarios. 14 of his 15 rushing scores in 2025 came from inside the red zone, and nine of 15 came from goal-to-go scenarios.
Coleman would take a serious load off Achane’s shoulders in 2026 and would give the Dolphins another starting option for years to come.
Houston Texans
Houston struggled to run the ball effectively in 2025. They averaged the league’s fourth-fewest yards per carry and were tied for the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (9). Leading rusher Woody Marks, a fourth-round rookie out of USC, carried the ball 196 times for 703 rushing yards (3.6 yards per carry) and two scores. RB2 Nick Chubb is now a pending free agent, and there’s little proven production behind him.
The Texans need a back who can score, and Coleman certainly can. His 15 rushing touchdowns in 2025 are tied for the sixth-most in UW single-season history, and his two receiving touchdowns tie him for the seventh-most total scores in one season of Husky football.
If Houston wants to give Marks another chance, Coleman could fill in as the Texans’ RB2 and short-yardage back. However, if Marks’ production doesn’t improve, Coleman could certainly take over as a starter. The Texans have two second-round picks (Nos. 38 and 59), one third-round pick (No. 69), and two fourth-round picks (Nos. 106 and 128) in this year’s draft, so they’ll have plenty of opportunities if they want to select Coleman.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City running backs Kareem Hunt (163 carries, 611 yards, eight touchdowns) and Isiah Pacheco (118 carries, 462 yards, one touchdown) split the duties of a 1000-yard rusher in 2025, but the Chiefs still totalled the league’s eighth-fewest rushing yards.
Both Hunt and Pacheco are pending free agents, which means running back is one of Kansas City’s biggest positional needs. Even if the Chiefs were to re-sign somebody, they’d likely still need to add at least one more running back via the draft.
The Chiefs have been heavily linked to Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love–the only back in this year’s class with a first-round grade–in early mock drafts. However, if Kansas City goes elsewhere in Round 1, Coleman would be a solid Day 2 option.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota’s running back corps is a year away from being exactly where Kansas City’s is now. Leading rushers Jordan Mason (159 carries, 758 yards, six touchdowns) and Aaron Jones Sr. (132 carries, 542 yards, two touchdowns) each have a year left on their respective contracts.
Jones will be 32 when his contract expires, and it’s unlikely he’d be re-signed at that age.
Mason could certainly play himself into a long-term role in 2026, but the Vikings will need to make drastic action next offseason if he doesn’t.
For those reasons, it might be wise for the Vikings to pick up Coleman now. They’ve got one second-round pick (No. 49) and two third-round picks (Nos. 82 and 97) which they could potentially select him with. Coleman’s body type is similar to Mason’s, but he’d be a nice replacement if the Vikings decide to move the 26-year-old in this offseason or the next.
Tennessee Titans
Like the Vikings, the Titans have two running backs entering the final year of their contracts. Tony Pollard, who led the team with 242 carries, 1,082 yards, and five touchdowns, will turn 30 next offseason, so 2026 could be his final year as a Titan. Tyjae Spears, who is entering the last year of his rookie deal, tallied a less effective 72 carries for 282 yards and two touchdowns.
Neither is a true power back, which means there’s room for Coleman to make an impact in a complementary role for Tennessee in 2026. The Titans would then have plenty of options when it comes time to reshape their running back corps in 2027.
Contract talk can wait for a year, but Tennessee should draft a running back this year. The Titans tallied the league’s third-fewest rushing yards in 2026.
New Orleans Saints
Saints running back Alvin Kamara missed six games due to injury in 2025. As a result, he posted career lows in rushing yards (471), receiving yards (187), and total touchdowns (two, both rushing). He’s also entering the final year with guaranteed money on his contract, and he turns 31 in July. Behind him, rookie Devin Neal (57 carries, 206 yards, two rushing touchdowns) finished the season on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 15.
Neal, who stands 5-foot-11 and 213 pounds, is big enough to use in short-yardage scenarios, so it’s possible the Saints look for a more explosive option in this year’s draft. However, they’ve got to do something: New Orleans tallied the league’s fifth-fewest rushing yards in 2025.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos nearly fought their way to Super Bowl LX, despite losing quarterback Bo Nix to an ankle injury in the divisional round. Nix’s injury ultimately doomed Denver, but the season-ending Lisfranc injury which running back J.K. Dobbins suffered in November was a major blow too.
Dobbins, who had tallied 153 carries for 772 yards and four touchdowns through 10 games prior to injury, was on pace for over 1,300 regular-season rushing yards. He’s expressed interest in re-signing with the Broncos for 2026, but that’s no guarantee. Dobbins suffered season-ending injuries in 2021 (tore all ligaments in left knee during preseason) and 2023 (tore Achilles in Week 1), and has missed four or more games in every season since his rookie year in 2020.
If Dobbins walks in free agency, the Broncos will certainly need to add a back in the draft. They should do their homework on Coleman, whose bruising downhill style could work well in Denver’s play-action offense. Coleman could also be a nice complement to explosive second-year back RJ Harvey.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were forced to try a committee approach to their run game in 2025 following James Conner’s season-ending Week 3 ankle injury, and it didn’t work out. They finished with the league’s second-fewest rushing yards and also tied for the league’s second-fewest rushing scores (9).
Arizona’s two leading rushers from this year, Michael Carter and Emari Demercado, are both pending free agents, and Conner’s entering his final year with just a dead cap price tag of just $2.5 million. Arizona is likely in need of a complete rehaul at the position, which they could start by drafting Coleman in April.
The Cardinals ran even more play-action than the Broncos did in 2025, so Coleman’s skills would likely also be appreciated in Glendale. He’s got a similar build to Conner, who reached 1,000 rushing yards in each of his two prior seasons as a Cardinal.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks suffered few injuries on their road to a Super Bowl championship, but the torn ACL which running back Zach Charbonnet suffered in the divisional round could hinder them in 2026. He may not be ready to go when the season gets underway, which could be especially problematic if Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III leaves in free agency.
Even if Walker returns, the Seahawks should consider drafting Coleman. The Stockton, Calif. native’s powerful running style would make him an ideal replacement for Charbonnet as he recovers and enters the final year of his contract. Coleman would also be welcomed warmly by The 12th Man, most of whom have spent the last two years cheering him on as a Husky.