Day 3 Projection but Longevity Skills for NFL
by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published March 3, 2026, 8:52AM
“Jovan,” a voice boomed over the crowd gathered around the podium.
Again, it came. Louder this time. “Jovan.”
The running back standing there is named Jonah.
This is part of the NFL Combine landscape unfamiliar interviewers stumbling over names while firing off questions without hesitation. Jonah Coleman, 5-foot-8, 220 pounds of condensed force, smiled politely. Diamond-studded teeth flashed beneath two diamond chains hanging from a thick neck built for collisions.
“I come from a big family,” Coleman said, peeling back layers of who he is before anyone asked about yards per carry. “I have 10 siblings. Now, I recently just had a baby sister. I have 15 nieces. I have six nephews. So, I’m a big family person.”
He’s 22. Old soul energy.
That was the takeaway during a brief exchange in Indianapolis, where he shared podium space adjacent to Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, both answering rapid-fire questions from the media swarm, Love’s nearly triple the size.
The lack of an audience shouldn’t fade your interest in Coleman. He’s built like an armored truck and talks the way he runs. His father introduced physicality early and he shed on light on the subject in how he grew into that demeanor.
“I feel like getting that extra yardage is just the mentality my dad put in my head when I was a kid,” Coleman said. “I remember being six years old, the only kid at the park doing drills, wind sprints, learning the fundamentals. My dad was always like,‘Run. Run. Run through somebody’s face.’ It’s a physical game. So physicality is what I bring.”
Over his last three seasons he has went over 1,000 scrimmage yards. Coleman has produced more than 3,000 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns, including 25 over the 2024–25 stretch. Add 87 receptions for 858 yards and three scores, averaging 9.6 yards per catch. Four kick returns for 83 yards, just because.
Turn on the tape and you see patience first. He presses the line, waits for daylight, then detonates through the crease. But patience doesn’t mean passive and that’s where the toughness is involved.
“I feel like it’s a mentality thing. Some people, when somebody touches them, they fall down. My mentality is run through you. Over you. Around you.”
The Stockton, California native spent two seasons at Arizona and finished at Washington. At the podium in Indianapolis, he emphasized something else growth.
“Just my willingness to want to be better and different myself,” Coleman said. “I committed to learning pass protection like the back of my hand. I committed to understanding zone schemes. I committed to catching the ball. I committed to getting stronger, faster, and running through tackles.”
He wasn’t always a running back.
“It was my second year of football. Little league. Our running back came late to a jamboree, so they said, ‘Jonah, play running back.’ I had number 81 on. After that they were like, ‘You’re actually pretty good at this.’ That’s how it started. My first five games of high school, I was a freshman on varsity playing slot receiver. Then they moved me back to running back. I grew up playing seven-on-seven, playing receiver.”
That receiver background shows up in space. There is an ample number of plays to confirm his ability to catch and gain yards after the catch.
When asked who he models his game after, he didn’t hesitate.
“I really like Josh Jacobs. He’s a tough runner. Always fights for yards. Catches well out of the backfield. Picks up blitzes. Just the physicality he brings that’s who I model my game after.”
Good choice, Jonah.
He met with the Kansas City Chiefs in Indianapolis. Not unusually since nearly everyone players meet with every team, but what stood out wasn’t the meeting. It was the recall. He knew coaches. He knew roles. He knew fit.
He even mentioned being a Clyde Edwards-Helaire type in that offense.
“Could kind of be like that Clyde Edwards-Helaire type,” Coleman said with a laugh. “When Clyde came into the league playing with Mahomes, it was dominant catching out of the backfield, having success in the run game. That would be amazing. I know Coach Eric Bieniemy and DeMarco Murray. I watched him play. It’d be great to be coached by him and be in that system.”
That’s awareness and you’d be surprised how many times another at the podium isn’t poised and alert to the landscape of the National Football League their deeply wishing to join.
Coleman will handle his full workout at his Pro Day on March 10 at the Dempsey Indoor Facility after doing only field work at the Combine. Slated for Day Three, he’s the kind of prospect personnel departments circle quietly.
Think of Jaylen Warren of the Pittsburgh Steelers with Coleman, same size and skill set. While Coleman mentions physicality, I’d point out he is sneaky elusive hitting his first hole. Slides easily through gaps and often it’s a couple of defenders battling to bring him down.
While there is nothing paramount to his overall game, it’s his overall game that makes him worthy of selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Warren went undrafted out of Oklahoma State and has become workhorse for the Steelers. It’s fair to say a similar role would suit Coleman in the league.
No nonsense. Sponge for information. A compact back with receiver roots, pass protection pride, and a father’s voice still echoing – Run through somebody’s face.
Training camp will tell the rest. A period for Coleman to establish himself.
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
