After helping lead the Indiana Hoosiers to a national championship, Kaelon Black is headed to the NFL. From breaking out with the Hoosiers to a viral pre-draft story about an Uber to Cincinnati, Black is going to be a fun story to get behind.
2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Kaelon Black
Measurables
Height: 5′ 9″
Weight: 211 pounds
Arms: 29.13″
Hands: 8.88″
40-yard: 4.45
Vertical: 37.5″
Broad jump: 10′ 5″
RAS: 9.14
School: Indiana
Kaelon Black NFL Draft Overview
Coming out of high school in Virginia Beach, Black did not have many prospects. According to 247Sports’ ratings, Black was a two-star recruit in the 2020 class (he was a three-star running back according to consensus). As a result, he committed to James Madison (when it was still at the FCS level). In his first season, he appeared in two games and carried the ball 25 times for 170 yards and a touchdown. In 2021, he retained his redshirt with three starts. In those three games, Black amassed 165 yards on 27 carries.
Then, as a third-year redshirt freshman and JMU’s first at the FBS level, Black appeared in nine games with one start. That season, he added another 333 yards and three scores on 69 carries. Finally, Black took over as the lead back for the Dukes. He started 12 games with one other appearance, and led the way with 637 yards and one touchdown on 142 carries.
Black then followed Curt Cignetti to Indiana ahead of the 2024 season. In his first season with the Hoosiers, Black appeared in all 13 games and amassed 251 yards and two touchdowns on 46 carries.
He finally broke out last year as part of the national championship-winning Hoosiers. In 16 games, Black carried the ball 186 times for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Strengths
- Hits the hole with authority
- Welcomes contact and can get the dirty yards
- Ready and willing to pass block
- Low center of gravity, is hard to bring down
- Can make something out of nothing if the initial lane is taken away
Weaknesses
- Will be 25 in October
- Took him until his sixth year to break out
- Vision isn’t there, can just lower his head and try to bully his way through
- Not an every-down, game-breaking back
- Not a receiving threat
Projection: Sixth Round
Best Fits: Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons
Bottom Line on Kaelon Black
Black made headlines in the lead-up to the draft because he got stuck at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, meaning to fly into Cincinnati for a final 30 visit. As a result, the Bengals sent an Uber, and he rode down to Paycor Stadium for a meeting.
Black is an older prospect in this year’s class, and the concern will be the fact that he took until his sixth season to really break out. Yes, he did lead James Madison in 2023, but that was only 637 yards and one touchdown.
He’s not likely to be that go-to RB1, but he could be a bruiser and change-of-pace kind of back. He is good at making something out of nothing and getting those extra yards, but his physical playstyle is predicated on his dropping his eyes and head to prep for contact.
