​Kyle Soppe is all in on Bijan Robinson being the first pick overall, and he’s not pretending the choice was hard. “He’s my 1.01 in all single-quarterback formats,” Soppe said on the Hot List. “It’s a tier of two, but for me, it’s pretty clear-cut who number one is.” The other member of that top-tier duo is Jahmyr Gibbs, with the debate centered on floor versus ceiling. Soppe concedes Gibbs has the higher ceiling. “In my opinion, his ceiling is higher than anybody else at the position,” he noted about the Lions back, who has averaged more than five yards per carry in each of his three NFL seasons and hauled in 79 receptions on 94 targets in 2025. With David Montgomery now in Houston, the goal-line opportunities should follow.
What tips the scale for Robinson is his weekly reliability, backed by 2025 receipts. Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards, scored 11 touchdowns, caught 79 passes, and earned first-team All-Pro honors. Soppe isn’t fazed by Atlanta’s offensive limitations. “You know what it didn’t do?” he asked. “It didn’t stop my man from racking up almost 2,300 yards and 11 scores from scrimmage last season. It’s not going to stop him this year.” With Tyler Allgeier leaving in free agency after vulturing eight rushing touchdowns last season, the preaching is that the volume, the role, and the athleticism are all aligned for Bijan Robinson to potentially deliver a historic 2026 season.
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James Cook sits third, and the case is straightforward. He won the 2025 rushing title with 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns, becoming the first Bills back to lead the league since O.J. Simpson in 1976. “The floor is just so high in this Buffalo offense,” Soppe explained, highlighting that Cook is the only back in the league with 1,000 rushing yards, 4.5 yards per carry, and 30 catches in each of the past three seasons. The Josh Allen factor in the touchdown equation doesn’t scare him; “There’s enough food for both of them to eat.”
Ashton Jeanty is the swing. His rookie season was a slog, finishing with 975 rushing yards on 266 carries at 3.7 per attempt, and Soppe’s takeaway is that the problem lay with the blocking, not the back. “Nearly 84% of his rushing yards last season came after contact,” he said. “That’s a mess. It’s going to get better because it can’t get worse.” NFL Next Gen Stats painted an even bleaker picture: among backs with at least 200 carries, Jeanty gained only 112 yards before contact, the second-worst figure in the league, with 88.5% of his production coming after the hit. Las Vegas finished 3-14, fired Pete Carroll, hired Klint Kubiak, and drafted Fernando Mendoza first overall. Soppe believes the offense simply cannot be as unwatchable as it was twice in a row.
That brings Christian McCaffrey into the RB5 spot, a ranking that serves as both a compliment and a warning. He led the NFL with 413 touches in 2025, racked up 2,126 scrimmage yards, and scored 17 touchdowns, finishing strong in a season that underscored his versatility and durability.