Draft-Week Buzz
No verified pre-draft news items in the past 30 days for this prospect. See Day 2/3 Team Fits below for projected landing spots and /news.html for the cross-prospect timeline.
Scouting Nugget: West Virginia transfer; size-mismatch back
Expanded bio coming soon. This prospect is Running Back #27 in the 2026 class.
Background
Ohio State RB from Miami (FL); West Virginia transfer to Columbus for 2025. Former WR/TE convert to RB.
College Production
2022-24 WVU: 1,900+ rush yds, 28 TDs — featured Big 12 back. 2025 OSU: rotational behind OSU's deep committee.
Scouting Take
Size-mismatch back at 6-2/240 who runs with angry pad level. Plateau speed; pass-game involvement inconsistent.
Draft Projection
UDFA. Goal-line + short-yardage specialist profile.
Sources
Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.
NFL Scheme Fit
NFL Scheme Fit
- Gap / man / power-run scheme
Philadelphia Eagles · Baltimore Ravens · Pittsburgh Steelers · Chicago Bears
Scheme Misfit Notes
- Wide-zone outside-rush schemes that demand cutback burst
Scheme matches are bucketed from the prospect's height, weight, and (for WRs) archetype tag against a static lookup of which NFL teams currently run each scheme family.
Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook
Projected Rookie Contract Value
~$0.84M base + bonus (1-yr) · Pick range: UDFA · ~0% guaranteed
UDFA 1-yr deal: $840K base + ~$10K-$25K signing bonus
Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.
Versatility, Limits & Roster Pathway
Position Versatility & Alternative Roles
- FB / power-RB / short-yardage hammer — 230+ lbs profiles as a goal-line + 3rd-and-short specialist; FB-flex value if the team runs 21-personnel.
Biggest Limiting Trait LOW
100th-percentile height for the position — Frame is among the tallest at the position — long-strider transitions on sharp routes / change-of-direction reps are the typical scout flag for this profile.
Day-3 NFL Roster Pathway
Day 3 projection means a 53-man roster spot is not guaranteed — special-teams contribution (kick/punt coverage, gunner, return-game blocking) is the typical first-year survival path.
Derived from height/weight against the 2026 position cohort and the prospect's projected round. Versatility callouts identify alternate alignments NFL teams have historically used for similar size profiles. Limiting-trait notes flag the single most-cited measurable concern; severity reflects how often that flag ends a Day 1 starter projection. Roster-pathway notes describe the realistic Year 1 NFL role for Day 3 picks.
By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context
- Frame: Among 2026 RB prospects, his 6-2 / 240 lbs frame sits at the 100th percentile in height and 100th percentile in weight.
- Position class: CJ Donaldson is RB #27 of 28 ranked RBs in the 2026 class. Of those, 10 are projected in the R7/UDFA range.
- School pipeline: One of 9 Ohio State prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft — but the only RB.
Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.
CJ Donaldson’s NFL Archetype: Najee Harris
Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Closest RB physical profile in the modern NFL: 6-2/240 lbs. Same frame, same role bucket — NOT a talent or career-arc projection.
Note: this is a physical-profile match — frame, position, role bucket. Not a talent or career-arc projection.
Similar Running Back Prospects
Closest matches to CJ Donaldson (6-2 / 240 lbs, #27 RB) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.
- Logan DiggsTIER MATCH Ole Miss · 6-0/215 lbs · #28 RB · UDFA
- Dean ConnorsTIER MATCH Houston · 5-11/215 lbs · #26 RB · UDFA
- Terion Stewart Virginia Tech · 5-10/215 lbs · #22 RB · R7
- Jam Miller Alabama · 5-11/215 lbs · #20 RB · R7
- Rahsul Faison South Carolina · 5-10/205 lbs · #23 RB · R7
Ohio State & The 2026 Class
More from Ohio State
- Arvell Reese · EDGE #1 · R1 top 5
- Kayden McDonald · IDL #2 · R1
- Ethan Onianwa · IOL #27 · R7
- Sonny Styles · LB #1 · R1 top 5
- Caleb Downs · S #1 · R1 top 3
Other UDFA prospects in the 2026 class
Different positions, same projected draft tier as CJ Donaldson.
- Jacolby Criswell · QB · Louisville
- Jalen McMillan · WR · Louisville
- Jalen Nailor · WR · Michigan State
- Jaren Kanak · TE · Oklahoma
- Garrett DiGiorgio · IOL · UCLA
- Dillon Wade · IOL · Auburn