Every year since joining BTSC in 2024, Ryan Parish puts together a draft gems list. This series is not meant to predict who the Steelers will pick, but rather highlight players Ryan thinks will be viable NFL players, and should be available in Rounds 2-7. Looking for more? Check out Ryan’s picks this year at:
Running back is not likely to be at the top of the Steelers’ priority list come April, but it’s good to keep in mind that teams often surprise us when the draft finally arrives. Truthfully, Pittsburgh
is all set atop its depth chart with running backs Jaylen Warren and the recently signed Rico Dowdle. Still, there have been rumbles that the team and second-year runner Kaleb Johnson might be due for a split, which would create an opening on the depth chart. Likewise, Dowdle’s deal is for just one year, and Warren signed a deal through 2027 that could be easy to move on from should things go awry in 2026. With 12 picks presently at their disposal, it wouldn’t be unheard of for the Steelers to add some more talent to an offense that will take positive contributions from wherever it can find them.
And besides, I want to keep my eyes fresh and wits sharp when it comes to scouting this position. That’ll be put to the test this year, as 2026 doesn’t have the same depth of talent as the 2025 running back class. None of the players I’ll list today are players I’d expect to be the lead back in a rotation, but the hope is they could be quality contributors all the same.
As always:
- Any player selected for this list cannot be commonly mocked as a 1st round pick
- I also avoid players who will have a profile written on BTSC. Paired with the previous rule, this year that disqualifies: Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Emmett Johnson, and Jonah Coleman.
Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas
Age: 22 (07-03-2003)
Height/weight: 6’1, 223 pounds
Arm Length: 335/8”
RAS: 9.87
I watched a lot of Arkansas this past season as I kept tabs on quarterback Taylen Green, but I ended up coming away more impressed with two other Razorbacks. One is a player I will feature on an upcoming Gems list entry, but the other was Washington.
While he’s far from a perfect prospect, Washington has a great combination of size and burst for a player of his size. His 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the Combine opened a lot of eyes, but for anyone who watched the tape or was aware of the GPS data on him — he was clocked over 20 mph at the Senior Bowl and had several such runs this season — it wasn’t all that shocking.
Washington took a circuitous route to the SEC, playing three seasons for Buffalo, New Mexico State in 2024, and then finally Arkansas in 2025. Despite five years in college, he’s actually still younger than most of the names on our list today.
He broke out this year against the toughest competition, rushing for 1,066 yards (6.4 YPC) and eight touchdowns, while adding 28 receptions, 226 yards, and another score through the air.
Washington is a “jack of all trades” type of runner. He has tantalizing speed for his size, but he isn’t a true burner. He has great size, but he isn’t consistently running over defenders. He does a little bit of everything well, but he isn’t elite in any one area. I don’t necessarily view that as a knock, though. He has shown the ability to break away from SEC defenses and has gotten better each season. I think that development can continue into the NFL.
A former high school wide receiver, Washington also has natural hands and above-average tracking ability for a running back. He has work to do to become a consistent pass blocker, but he can play on all three downs. His Combine performance might have driven him too far up the board for Pittsburgh — RB3 is wide open in this class, and some may have him there — but if running backs get pushed down the board into Day 3, or as the third of the Steelers’ three picks in Round 3, I think he’d be a worthy selection.
Kaytron Allen, Penn State
Age: 23 (01-08-2003)
Height/weight:5’11, 216 pounds
Arm Length: 291/2”
RAS: N/A
Many BTSC readers are already familiar with Allen after a productive college career at Penn State that saw him total 4,167 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns during a four-year college career.
Allen’s teammate, Nicholas Singleton — also in the 2026 rookie class — hogged much of the spotlight during their time as a backfield battery thanks to his top-end athleticism. However, it was Allen who proved to be the more consistent and reliable back. Allen had 864 rushing yards as a freshman, and saw his season total increase each season, culminating in back-to-back thousand-yard seasons to finish his college career, including 1,303 and 15 rushing touchdowns in 2025.
What Allen lacks in explosive speed, he makes up for with expert vision, above-average contact balance, and excellent feel, vision, and timing when reading blocks. He pairs that with exceptional ball security, fumbling the ball just once in three out of four seasons.
Allen isn’t a dynamo as a receiver, but he’s got reliable enough hands for basic passing concepts for running backs. He hauled in 70 of his 95 career targets for 490 yards and four scores. He still can improve as a pass blocker to make himself a viable third-down back, but he shows promising qualities there too.
Allen isn’t flashy, but he’s the type of back I have an easy time projecting to have a solid NFL career.
Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest
Age: 22 (10-09-2003)
Height/weight: 5’10, 188 pounds
Arm Length: 301/8”
RAS: 7.57
Claiborne is a different type of back than the Steelers have traditionally favored. Truth be told, until recent times, any back under 200 pounds is one I would have turned my nose up at, too. But as NFL defenses have gotten lighter, especially at linebacker, we’ve seen more and more running backs with slight frames find success in the NFL. De’Von Achane (188 pounds) and Jahmyr Gibbs (199) are the prime examples of the past few years, but we’ve also seen backs like Keaton Mitchell (179), Tarik Cohen (179), and Steve Slaton (197) turn in productive NFL seasons over the years.
These types of backs aren’t typically the workhorse types — Achane and Gibbs are the exceptions — but they can be valuable members of an offense. NFL teams are starting to get wise to the notion that creating explosive plays on a semi-frequent basis can cover up a lot of the down-to-down efficiency warts an offense might have.
That’s where adding an explosive playmaker like the speedy (4.37-second 40) Claiborne comes in.
Because of his size, and because he’s the type of runner whose hunt for explosive runs can also lead to the occasional frustrating misses, Claiborne should be available on Day 3. It’s easy to envision him picking up a role not too dissimilar from what Kenneth Gainwell accomplished in Pittsburgh. And while he might need to earn more offensive snaps to begin his career, Claiborne can immediately contribute as a kick returner. He scored two touchdowns in college and averaged 26.3 yards per return in his college career.
Kaelon Black, Indiana
Age: 24 (10-17-2001)
Height/weight: 5’9, 208 pounds
Arm Length: 291/2”
RAS: N/A
We’ll start right away with the negative that will likely keep Black a late Day 3 prospect: he’ll turn 25 years old this season. After four years on campus at James Madison — starting in the funky 2020 Covid season — Black followed head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana in 2024. He was hardly involved during his first three seasons at JMU, and had just 145 carries in his final season there. His first season with the Hoosiers also rarely had him see the field, but he became the Indiana RB2 in 2025.
I’m typically wary of players who break out so late in their college careers. After all, 23 and 24-year-olds should be beating up on players who might be 19 and 20. That said, I can’t help but like what I saw from Black’s 1,034-yard campaign in 2025 that included 10 touchdowns as part of an NCAA championship team.
Black is a tough and patient runner. He’s got a compact build that lets tackles bounce off him, but also allows for him to get skinny while sifting through traffic. He’s got great patience and feel for his blocks to develop, and he’s the type of back who is always falling forward when he’s brought down. He doesn’t add much as a pass catcher, but he’s a solid early-down back. I wish he’d been invited to the Combine so we could get some more tangible testing numbers for him, but we’ll have to wait for Indiana’s Pro Day on April 1. Purely on eye test, he reminds me of another former Hoosier: Tevin Coleman.
Davon Booth, Mississippi State
Age: 24 (01-23-2002)
Height/weight: 5’10, 205 pounds
Arm Length: N/A
RAS: N/A
Don’t ever say I don’t dig deep for you in this series. Our last entry is a runner from the SEC who is so underrated, he doesn’t even appear on any consensus big boards. Booth made the Shrine Bowl 1000 watch list prior to the 2025 season, but from what I can tell, he wasn’t invited to any of the draft showcases this cycle, nor was he extended a Combine invite.
Booth is another player who has had to scrap and claw to even make it this far. He started his college career with two seasons at a JUCO, where he had to work overnight shifts with UPS to make ends meet to support himself and his newborn son. Booth parlayed that to an opportunity at Utah State, where he put together an 803-yard campaign that allowed him to transfer to Mississippi State in 2024.
He had 943 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns in 2024 as part of a two-headed backfield with near even splits. That was true again in 2025 when he had 718 yards from scrimmage and once again scored nine touchdowns.
Mississippi State has been one of the worst teams in college football over the past two seasons, and they were often trailing, which can eliminate opportunities for running backs. I have to believe that plays a part in why Booth has relatively no buzz in the draft. Listed at 5’10 and 205 pounds, he isn’t an exceptionally big back, but he has more than adequate size for the NFL. He also showed he had plenty of juice to create explosive plays in SEC competition.
Booth might only profile as a role player at the NFL level, but you’ll take that from a Day 3 pick or an UDFA. The Steelers have had plenty of luck with a former undrafted back who spent time at Utah State — Jaylen Warren — maybe they can strike gold again.
Just missed the cut
There are three other backs I wanted to mention, but didn’t feel quite made the cut for my list for various reasons.
First up among them is Oklahoma running back Jaydn Ott. Standing 5’11 and 202 pounds, Ott had a promising freshman year at Cal and a breakout 2023 season. However, injuries mired his 2024 season. After a transfer to Oklahoma for the 2025 season, injuries once again undermined him to the point that he practically missed the entire season. Ott’s 2023 was truly special, though, as he accumulated 1,311 rushing yards on 246 carries (5.3 ypc) and 12 touchdowns. Across his three seasons at Cal, Ott showcased his ability as a receiver, too, collecting 96 receptions for 739 yards and six scores. The coaching staff at the Senior Bowl made a point of giving Ott most of the second-half carries in that game, and he turned in a respectable performance with 42 yards on eight carries, one reception for nine yards, and a touchdown. He looks like a running back who has enough juice to be the second back in an NFL rotation, but whether any team will trust his durability is another question entirely. Ott will turn 24 in December.
Le’Veon Moss is another back who was highly touted among recruits, but who had his college career badly derailed by injuries. Moss tore his ACL and MCL as a junior in 2024, which was also his most productive season(121 attempts, 765 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns). He appeared to be back on track this past season (77 attempts, 397 yards, six touchdowns), before a severe ankle injury in October shut down his season. He hasn’t participated in any offseason workouts thus far. At 5’11 and 210 pounds, Moss has flashed and looked the part in his limited playing time, but there are just too many concerns to feel confident in investing a high pick in him or to make this list officially. He’ll turn 24 in mid-November.
If the Steelers are looking for more pass-catching, Virginia’s J’Mari Taylor is a well-rounded option. Coming off back-to-back 1,000-plus rushing seasons, Taylor has 32 touchdowns over the past two seasons on the ground. As a pass catcher, the 5’9 and 199-pound Taylor has totaled 98 receptions for 886 yards and 10 touchdowns in four years split between North Carolina Central and Virginia. Taylor turned 24 in March.
Lastly, UTSA’s Robert Henry Jr. is a small school back who has his fans. A 177-yard performance against Texas A&M in the season opener was a bright spot and officially put him on some draft watch lists. Henry started his career at Jones College and eventually transferred to UTSA in 2023. He rushed for 1,051 yards and nine touchdowns on 152 carries in 2025. He had his share of breakaway runs, with 24 carries of 10 yards or more, and 16 carries of 15-plus yards. Ultimately, I left Jones off my list because his size (5’9, 196 pounds) and advanced age (he’ll turn 25 in December) don’t pair well with my concerns on tape. He’s a player who is quicker than fast (4.52-second 40 time) who can look too stiff and upright at times, with questionable vision. He strikes me as a camp body who I would rather give a shot as an UDFA than spend a pick on.
What do you think of these running back prospects? Would you like the Steelers to draft any of them? Who was your favorite? Did I leave one of your favorites out? Let us know in the comments!
