We touched on the quarterback position yesterday, so let’s take a look at their partners in the backfield today. Here’s where the Green Bay Packers’ offseason roster stands right now and the options that the team has at the running back position in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Packers Running Back Depth Chart
- Josh Jacobs
- Chris Brooks
- MarShawn Lloyd
- Pierre Strong Jr.
- Damien Martinez
Outside of losing Emanuel Wilson to the Seattle Seahawks, the Packers return their 2025 running back room for the 2026 season. While there wasn’t a big difference between the production of Wilson or Chris Brooks behind Josh Jacobs
last season, from an efficiency perspective, Green Bay hasn’t given Brooks the bulk of carries that Wilson has received in the past. For the most part, Brooks has been a pseudo fullback, a blocker who significantly contributes on special teams, as a run blocker in two-back looks and as a third-down pass protector.
The elephant in the room is the questions surrounding MarShawn Lloyd, who was taken in the third round of the 2024 draft. Since his selection, he’s only been able to play for one (1) NFL game due to a string of injuries. Will the Packers ever get anything out of Lloyd? Can they count on him making the roster in 2026? These questions are still up in the air.
If Lloyd isn’t going to make this team, the two backs who are set to push him right now are Pierre Strong Jr., a 2022 fourth-round pick who was signed to the team’s practice squad in September after spending the previous two years with the Cleveland Browns, and Damien Martinez, a 2025 seventh-round pick who had much higher draft projections going into last year’s draft. Martinez was on the street from September 19th, when the Seattle Seahawks released him from their practice squad, until he signed a reserve-futures contract with the Packers on January 12th.
Running Backs Consensus Draft Board Rankings
- #4: Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
- #44: Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
- #71: Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas (Packers visitor)
- #97: Jonah Coleman, Washington
- #105: Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
- #141: Jadyn Ott, Oklahoma
- #143: Nick Singleton, Penn State
- #151: Kaytron Allen, Penn State
- #158: Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
- #177: Kaelon Black, Indiana
- #180: Adam Randall, Clemson
- #182: Seth McGowan, Kentucky
- #202: Roman Hemby, Indiana
- #209: Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M
- #219: J’Mari Taylor, Virginia
- #255: Jamarion Miller, Alabama
Notably, the Green Bay Packers brought in Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr., a projected Day 2 selection, in for a pre-draft visit, which generally hints at significant interest from the team. Washington is a home-run hitter who ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at 223 pounds at the combine. Despite playing behind a poor offensive line in a highly-competitive SEC, Washington ran for 1,070 yards for the Razorbacks. The big hangup in his game is what he’ll do on third downs, as he wasn’t much of a pass-catcher and his pass-blocking skills are relatively poor.
Generally, the Packers have tended to target 220-plus-pound backs in the Matt LaFleur era. Another back who makes sense for the team, from that standpoint, is Penn State’s Nick Singleton, who is another freak athlete, big body back. He’s overcoming injury issues, which is why he will probably be available on a discount later this month.
There have been unconfirmed reports that Green Bay has had in Indiana running back Kaelon Black, a similar runner to Isiah Pacheco, on a visit. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also reported that New Mexico running back Damon Bankston, who is not ranked on the consensus board, is being brought in on a visit, too. Bankston would likely be a free agent target.
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Will the Packers take a running back this class? Should they take one? If they take one, who would you want to see in green and gold? Let us know.
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