These Running Back Prospects Might Not Be on Packers’ Draft Board

This will be Brian Gutekunst’s ninth NFL Draft, so there’s a strong sample size to look at in terms of Green Bay Packers draft history. If that’s not enough, Gutekunst’s mentor was Ted Thompson, meaning there’s more than two decades to look back on to help narrow down the list of running backs they’ll consider in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The selection of MarShawn Lloyd with a third-round pick in 2024 blew it all out of the water.

Here’s a look at Green Bay’s running back history and what it might mean for the upcoming draft, where the Packers could look to strengthen the depth chart due to the loss of Emanuel Wilson and the injury-plagued start to Lloyd’s career.

Height

The Packers’ distaste for short players was no tall tale. In two decades of drafts run by Thompson and Gutekunst, they hadn’t drafted a running back shorter than Aaron Jones, who was 5-foot-9 1/2 when he was selected in 2017.

In 2024, Gutekunst drafted Lloyd, who measured 5-foot-8 3/4. So, he didn’t just slip under the presumed threshold. He limboed under it by three-fourths of an inch.

Who might be too short?: Washington’s Jonah Coleman (5-foot-8 1/8), Oregon’s Noah Whittington (5-8 1/4) and Pittsburgh’s Desmond Reid (5-6 1/4) presumably would not make the cut.

Weight

One thing is for sure: While the Packers might bend on height, they will do no such thing for weight. Playing late-season games at Lambeau Field requires running backs with some junk in the trunk. No scatbacks allowed.

While Lloyd was short, he definitely was not small at 220 pounds. The lightest of Gutekunst’s five drafted running backs was Dexter Williams at 212 pounds. He also drafted AJ Dillon (247), Lew Nichols (222) and Kylin Hill (214).

The running backs under contract are Josh Jacobs (223), Lloyd (220), Chris Brooks (219), Damien Martinez (217) and Pierre Strong (207).

Who might be too light?: Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne (188), Virginia’s J’Mari Taylor (197), Navy’s Eli Heidenreich (198), Oklahoma’s Jaydn Ott (198) and Texas-San Antonio’s Robert Henry Jr. (199) are probably off the board.

Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price (203 pounds at 5-10 5/8), Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson (205 pounds at 5-10 1/2), South Carolina’s Rahsul Faison (206 at 5-11) and Indiana’s Roman Hemby (208 pounds at 5-11 7/8) could be on the fringe.

Hand Size

Big hands are helpful for ball security, especially on a cold winter day at Lambeau Field.

The historic Scouting Combine average is just a bit larger than 9 1/4 inches. Most of Green Bay’s draft picks have been over that mark, but not Gutekunst’s last two selections. Nichols (seventh round, 2023) had 9-inch hands and Lloyd (third round, 2024) had 8 3/4-inch hands. Lloyd had some fumbling issues at USC, which made this pick a bit of a surprise.

Jacobs, by the way, has 10 1/8-inch hands.

Whose hands might be too small?: Backs with hands smaller than 9 inches include Indiana’s Kaelon Black (8 7/8), Alabama’s Jam Miller (8 3/4), Oklahoma’s Ott (8 3/4), Oregon’s Whittington (8 3/8) and Pitt’s Reid (8 1/4).

Black had a predraft visit with the Packers.

The 40

The historic Scouting Combine average in the 40 is 4.585 seconds. The only running back drafted by the Packers slower than that during the Thompson-Gutekunst era was Eddie Lacy at 4.64 seconds. That doesn’t mean the 40 is a huge deal, though. Gutekunst’s picks were Dexter Williams (4.57), Dillon (4.53), Hill (4.57), Nichols (no time) and Lloyd (4.46). In fact, Lloyd is the fastest during the last two decades.

In Green Bay’s current backfield, Strong is the racecar with a 4.37 in the 40 at 202 pounds before he was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round in 2022. Along with Lloyd, the other 40 times on the depth chart are Jacobs (4.64 at 220 pounds), Brooks (4.62 at 232 pounds) and Martinez (4.51 at 217 pounds).

In the first 10 yards, the average is 1.581. All of Gutekunst’s picks have ranged from 1.60 to 1.64. Aaron Jones’ 1.51 is the only back faster than 1.60 over the last decade.

Who’s too slow?: Maybe nobody, but the group who ran slower than 4.60 seconds was Virginia’s Taylor (4.63), South Carolina’s Faison (4.62) and Ohio State’s C.J. Donaldson (4.61).

Relative Athletic Score

Relative Athletic Score combines a prospect’s height, speed, 40 time and other testing results into one position-based figure. The beauty of RAS is it allows comparison between opposite styles of prospects, such as Jones vs. Lacy.

Jones (9.21) and Dillon (9.15) posted elite scores, and Brandon Jackson (8.91), Lloyd (8.62), Alex Green (8.37), James Starks (8.34) and Dexter Williams (8.13) were excellent, as well. The others: Devante Mays (7.66), Kylin Hill (7.28), Johnathan Franklin (6.06), DeShawn Wynn (6.03), Lacy (4.58), Jamaal Williams (4.55) and Nichols (no RAS).

Gutekunst’s picks were Dexter Williams (8.13), Dillon (9.15), Hill (7.28), Lloyd (8.62) and Nichols (no score).

In the Packers’ backfield, the scores are 5.66 for Jacobs, 8.19 for Martinez, 8.38 for Brooks, 8.62 for Lloyd and 9.35 for Strong.

Whose RAS was too low?: Here are some sub-7.0 RAS for draftable running backs: UTSA’s Henry, 6.92; Texas A&M’s Le’Veon Moss, 6.28; Indiana’s Hemby, 6.24; Ohio State’s Donaldson, 6.04; Pittsburgh’s Reid, 5.32; Virginia’s Taylor, 4.86.

The Best Fits

This is not an all-encompassing list but rather a short list of prospects who really seem to fit Green Bay’s preferences. It’s interesting to note that Dane Brugler of The Athletic has 20 running backs listed as draftable. Our “best fits” are the only six who are 215-plus pounds.

Mike Washington, Arkansas: 6-1, 224. 4.33 40, 9 1/4 hands. 9.88 RAS.

Kayton Allen, Penn State: 5-11 3/8, 216. DNP 40, 9 1/2 hands. No RAS.

Nicholas Singleton, Penn State: 6-0 1/4, 219. DNP 40, 9 3/8 hands. No RAS.

Seth McGowan, Kentucky: 6-0 1/3, 223. 4.49 40, 9 hands. 9.34 RAS.

Chip Trayanum, Toledo: 5-10 5/8, 224. 450 40, 9 3/4 hands. 9.62 RAS.

Adam Randall Clemson: 6-3 3/8, 232. 4.50 40, 9 3/4 hands. 9.44 RAS.

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER