RB Tiers w/ Mike Renner (April 9)
3 Takeaways From: 2026 NFL Draft RB Tier List w/ Mike Renner (April 9, 2026)
Mike Renner of CBS Sports joined us to tier every running back in the 2026 NFL draft from S to F. Only two backs made it into his top four tiers — and the gap between them and everyone else is massive. We get into why Jeremiyah Love is one of the best RB prospects in years, the landing spot that would send Jadarian Price‘s ADP through the roof, a Bhayshul Tuten tangent that got Levitan destroyed on Twitter, and why this class means your incumbent RBs are way safer than usual.
Key Topics
- Renner’s full RB tier list from S to F, comps, and landing spot talk
- Why this weak class makes incumbent RBs safer than usual
Takeaway #1: Jeremiyah Love is the guy, and it’s not close
- Renner has Love as his third-highest-graded prospect in the entire draft, any position. Jahmyr Gibbs comp with 14 more pounds. Big-play ability is as good as any RB prospect in recent memory.
- Love ran a 4.36 at the Combine and then did the drills — when’s the last time a consensus top-10 pick did that? The kid just competes. Off-field makeup is off the charts.
- One nitpick: He gets a little dancy between the tackles and doesn’t always set up blocks. Slightly boom-bust. But the NFL gives you those chunk runs college doesn’t, so the bust part should come down.
Takeaway #2: Jadarian Price is the clear RB2 and a massive landing spot play
- Renner has Price in his B tier — the only other back in his top four tiers besides Love. Notre Dame kept feeding Price touches even with Love on the roster. 4.49 speed, 104-inch broad, 21 bench reps at 203. Guy is pure muscle.
- Runs the way you have to run in the NFL. North-south, hits the crease, takes four yards. Zero career drops. Renner thinks he’s a better pure receiver than most backs in this class.
- Seahawks at 32 is the dream scenario. If Seattle takes Price, his ADP is going through the roof.
Takeaway #3: After the top two, this class is bad – and that has 2026 fantasy implications
- Renner has zero backs in his A or C tiers. After Love (S) and Price (B), it drops straight to D. That’s Kaytron Allen, Seth McGowan, Mike Washington Jr., Eli Heidenreich. The F tier includes Demond Claiborne, Adam Randall, Jonah Coleman, Nick Singleton, Emmett Johnson, and Le’Veon Moss.
- The big names have big warts. Washington is a Derrick Henry body type who never cracked 700 yards before age 23 and has 10 career fumbles. Singleton hasn’t improved since his freshman year and got outplayed by Kaytron Allen. Johnson is slow and small.
- Incumbents are going to be safer this year. We usually see rookies come on after the bye and steal jobs. Way less likely in 2026 with this class. Keep that in mind early on.
Listen to the Full Episode
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