Mike Renner#28 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 18, 2026
Renner ranks the top 10 running backs in the 2027 NFL Draft class, calling it a special group in which the top three are future first-rounders, and assigns each an early draft grade ranging from Round 1 to early Day 3.
Published in writing · CBS SportsRead the original
What Mike Renner said
The top three backs in this class all look like future first-rounders, so there's no shame in coming in third on this list.
- Where it was published
- CBS Sports
- The piece
- Renner's 2027 NFL Draft scouting series: Ranking the top 10 running backs
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
Box score, by kind
HitCloseMissWaiting| Group | Hits | Close | Misses | Waiting | Calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mock Draft Picks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Top Player Lists | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| All | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
How each call scored
12 checkable claims — 11 mock draft picks and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 11 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Mock Draft Picks11 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
Kewan Lacy to be picked “Round 1”
“Kewan Lacy ... Early grade: Round 1 ... The top three backs in this class all look like future first-rounders”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Rushawn Baker to be picked “Late Day 2” (picks 67–100)
“Wayshawn Parker ... Early grade: Late Day 2”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Jadan Baugh to be picked “Round 1”
“Jadan Baugh ... Early grade: Round 1 ... Baugh is yet another back who has little more to prove to become a first-rounder next spring.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
LaMont Jordan to be picked “Early Day 3” (picks 101–179)
“Waymond Jordan ... Early grade: Early Day 3”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Hollywood Smothers to be picked “Early Day 3” (picks 101–179)
“Hollywood Smothers ... Early grade: Early Day 3”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- —Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Mark Fletcher Jr. to be picked “Late Day 2” (picks 67–100)
“Mark Fletcher Jr. ... Early grade: Late Day 2”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Rushawn Baker to be picked “top-100 pick” (picks 1–100)
“After barely cracking the 1,000-yard mark last year, he should be a top-100 pick with another big season.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- —Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Aneyas Williams to be picked “Early Day 3” (picks 101–179)
“Aneyas Williams ... Early grade: Early Day 3”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- —Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Top Player Lists1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
“Positional rankings ... RB ... Ahmad Hardy ... Jadan Baugh ... Kewan Lacy ... Isaac Brown ... Nate Frazier ... Mark Fletcher Jr. ... Wayshawn Parker ... Aneyas Williams ... Hollywood Smothers ... Waymond Jordan”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Alain Poupart · Roster Spot Calls · Carlos Washington · Miss 0
Poupart expects rookie guard Kadyn Proctor to clear concussion protocol and play against Detroit, sees Ollie Gordon II continuing as the Dolphins' workhorse back, and thinks practice squad back Carlos Washington Jr. could be elevated for the Lions game.Nick Brinkerhoff · Score Predictions · Miami Dolphins · Hit 100
Predicts a 23-20 Dolphins win over the Jets.Mike Kadlick · Game Outcome Picks · Miami Dolphins · Hit 100
Picks the Dolphins to beat the Jets.Alain Poupart · Score Predictions · Miami Dolphins · Hit 98
Picks the Dolphins to upset the Jets 24-20, citing New York's run-defense problems against a Miami ground game led by Ollie Gordon II and Malik Willis.Alain Poupart · Game Outcome Picks · Miami Dolphins · Hit 100
Picks the Jets to beat the Dolphins 19-17, while predicting Miami will get its win over New York in the rematch five weeks later.Jourdan Rodrigue · Game Outcome Picks · Miami Dolphins · Hit 100
Roderick picked the Vikings to smash the Colts, the Dolphins to win their first game of the season against the Jets, and the Saints to upset the Steelers in Paris.
More mock draft picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Chris Simms · Mock Draft Picks · Malachi Corley · Miss 11
Simms named the Bears the NFL's best overall offense and best rushing offense, the Bengals the best passing offense, Seattle the best total defense, Minnesota the best pass defense and Tampa Bay the best run defense; they also called Tristan Wirfs the league's best offensive lineman, projected Miami's Malachi Toney as a top-15 pick, and predicted a 30-14 Jaguars win in Baltimore.Philip Hughes · Mock Draft Picks · Kyle Kennard · Miss 34
Evaluating edge rusher Kyle Kennard ahead of the draft, the account projected them as a Day 2 selection.Blaine Grisak · Mock Draft Picks · Brian Thomas Jr. · Hit 84
Grisak argues the Rams should not trade a second-round pick for Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., calling it too great a risk and too high a cost. In an embedded tweet of their own from the 2024 pre-draft period, they suggested the Rams could select Thomas at pick No. 19.Charlie Campbell · Mock Draft Picks · Xavier Williams · Miss 0
Campbell's draft stock report projects Indiana WR Charlie Becker as a top-10 pick in 2027, Mississippi State CB Kelley Jones as a first-rounder, Tennessee DT Xavier Gilliam as a top-15 pick, and Texas OT Trevor Goosby as a top-10 pick, while suggesting Arch Manning could still be a first-rounder if they declare.