Broncos select running back in NFL Draft who has received Maurice Jones-Drew comparisons

The Denver Broncos added serious thunder to their backfield on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting Washington running back Jonah Coleman with the 108th overall pick in the fourth round, and the pre-draft comparison circulating around the prospect may have been the highest compliment possible.

Throughout the pre-draft process, scouts and analysts drew parallels between Coleman and Hall of Famer Maurice Jones-Drew, the iconic, low-to-the-ground bowling ball back who terrorized defenses for the Jacksonville Jaguars for nearly a decade. It’s an apt comparison. Coleman checks in at 5-foot-9 and 229 pounds with a sub-30-inch height, giving him a center of gravity that makes him a nightmare to tackle in space.

Here are some highlights of Jonah Coleman, including big run vs #CSURams. He is built like a fire hydrant. At 220 pounds, he is bigger than Harvey. He showed ability to run between the tackles and college, and that’s absolutely something they need in this offense when Dobbins is… pic.twitter.com/w2PZgqIWW0

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) April 25, 2026

In fact, Maurice Jones-Drew himself ranked Coleman fourth among all running backs in the 2026 draft class during a pre-draft evaluation for NFL.com, high praise from the man whose name is synonymous with the “bowling ball” archetype.

The show lives up to the hype. Coleman played for Washington for two seasons and had 1,811 rushing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 531 receiving yards on 54 catches in 25 games. He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten twice. In his last year, he ran for 758 yards and 15 touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry.

He also caught 31 passes for 354 yards and two more touchdowns. Coleman rushed for more than 3,000 yards, scored 34 rushing touchdowns, and only fumbled once on 552 carries during his four seasons in college, including time at Arizona before transferring to the Huskies. This shows how good he was at keeping the ball safe.

His PFF overall grade of 81.7 in 2025 ranked in the top tier among college running backs, and Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked him sixth among running backs on his entire draft board.

Coleman joins a Denver backfield that already has J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, who is in his second year. However, his ability to protect the quarterback and play on third downs makes it easy for him to get meaningful snaps early on. Head coach Sean Payton has always liked running backs who can help out in all three areas, and Coleman fits that mold perfectly. In Round 4, Denver may have found a steal.

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