Justice Haynes is a running back from Michigan who is ranked No. 89 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Haynes’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
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Justice Haynes’s NFL Draft Potential
Justice Haynes was a highly touted, fringe five-star recruit when he joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2023, and he flashed promise in a limited role through two years. But Haynes’ arrival at Michigan has allowed him to fully transform into a bona fide bell-cow back and a true early-round prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Through six games played thus far, Haynes has 95 carries for 705 yards and eight touchdowns.
The 5’10”, 210-pound Haynes isn’t much of a receiving threat, and that limits his NFL Draft upside a bit. But as a runner, he’s an explosive one-cut-and-go player who has home-run hitting long-strider speed and knockout-inducing physicality and contact balance against would-be tacklers in open space. Beyond the mere speed, Haynes can use bend and flexibility to surge upfield past surging defenders while keeping pace. He’s limited in some multi-phase respects, but has the traits to be a volume early-down back.
CFB Week 9 Update
Justice Haynes had been dealing with an injury heading into his game against Michigan State, but he ended up playing and looked phenomenal while amassing 152 yards and 2 scores on 26 carries. Haynes has the explosive vertical athleticism, contact balance and density, and physicality to incite fear in-between the tackles, but it was his peripheral vision and speed that helped him bounce some runs outside against a Spartans defense that sold out trying to contain him. That peripheral vision is an exciting thing to see on Haynes’ tape, as it alludes to creative upside we haven’t seen as much of to this point.
CFB Week 10 Update
Haynes was held out of Michigan’s Week 10 game with a foot injury, and it’s now been revealed that the injury will force him to undergo surgery. Head coach Sherrone Moore has said that the goal is to get Haynes back before the end of the season, but with just three games left in the regular season and a prospective bowl game on tap, there isn’t a lot of time for that to happen.
If Haynes does miss the rest of the 2025 campaign, he’ll have a decision to make regarding his 2026 NFL Draft decision. He’s likely put enough on tape at this point to be in the conversation for Top 100 capital, but questions still remain on his profile.
CFB Week 11 Update
Michigan was on a bye in Week 11. They’ll return to action in Week 12 against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Where Is Haynes Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Haynes currently holds the No. 52 overall rank among prospects, positioning him as a Day 2 prospect. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 50.5 as of November 11 reflects that he is typically being selected in the second or third round.
This small gap between rank and ADP suggests he’s consistently valued among evaluators, even amid fluctuations in player evaluations at this stage of the draft cycle.
Users controlling the Kansas City Chiefs have been the team that selected Haynes the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 2.1% of their picks across all seven rounds.
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Where Does Justice Haynes Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Haynes is currently ranked No. 89 overall in my October 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among RB prospects, Haynes ranks 4th at the position, trailing prospects like Jeremiyah Love, Demond Claiborne, Jadarian Price. Currently ranked in the top 100, Haynes will look to increase their draft stock in the coming months.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
