The last time we saw three running backs go in the first round was nearly a decade ago in 2018. The last time we saw three running backs go in the top 25 was over two decades ago, in 2005. The way the 2027 class is trending, those droughts appear to be ending because there are some special backs at the top of this class.
Compared to last year, the difference is starker than any other position group. All 10 running backs listed below would have been RB3 for me if they were in last year's class. But with the current NIL landscape, there's no telling who will ultimately declare for the draft next spring.
Positional rankings: IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB Note: ⭐️ represents each player's 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit Ahmad Hardy is the most difficult back to tackle in college football. His contact balance is off the charts, and I would put it very much in the territory of Ashton Jeanty a couple of years ago. His 190 broken tackles the past two seasons between Louisiana-Monroe and Missouri were the most in college football.
While there's no one thing to his game that's off the charts physically, he's well above-average across the board. You see quick feet, solid long speed, and the strength to drag piles between the tackles. The only thing missing from his game so far has been work as a receiver, where he has only 14 career catches in two seasons of college football.
If he can prove more capable in that regard, he becomes a first-round lock. Jadan Baugh could play in the NFL tomorrow. At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, he's a man amongst boys already at the collegiate level.
His ability to get out of tight spaces for a back that size is nothing short of special. Unlike most backs his size, he also has extensive work in the passing game with 33 receptions for 210 yards and no drops last season. Baugh is yet another back who has little more to prove to become a first-rounder next spring.
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