This week’s prospect update will look at the running back position. The prospects highlighted are likely 2025 NFL Draft prospects. This year’s running back class has gained a reputation for being quite deep, an assessment I agree with so far. There are three top-tier running backs that I think deserve clear starting roles on day 1 in the NFL, with a number of backs that could compete for a starting role as early as their rookie season.
In this update, I’ve ranked the prospects against each other and also provided an NFL Draft capital projection for each to give you a rough idea of how they stack up against previous incoming rookies. I know it’s very early to be talking about draft capital, and lots can and will change from now through the summer, but providing draft capital projections allows managers to see just how well this class matches up against previous classes. This is possibly the deepest running back class in over a decade and should be the target of Dynasty managers looking to acquire emerging running back talent.
1. Ashton Jeanty – Boise State
Mid 1st Round
If you’ve been following college football in any capacity you don’t need me to tell you about Ashton Jeanty. Even before the season I thought Jeanty had shades of Jahmyr Gibbs in his game. He was a spectacular pass catcher and electric out in space. This season, he hasn’t needed pass-catching to show off his dynamic abilities in space.
It seems like every time he touches the ball, he creates a ridiculous amount of space by shedding defenders left and right. Jeanty has managed an outrageous 7.95 yards after contact per attempt on the season. That leads all FBS rushers that have at least 15 attempts on the season, and he’s done it while rushing 95 times. His total rush attempts are only that low because he’s found himself resting the 2nd half of games while Boise State makes a push for the college football playoffs despite playing in the Mountain West Conference. If the yards after-contact figures aren’t enough for you, he’s already rushed for 16 touchdowns, 4 more than the next-highest running back.
One of the biggest criticisms of Jeanty heading into the season was that he faces subpar opponents playing outside of a Power 5 school. That criticism should be thoroughly dispelled simply by the pure dominance he’s shown, but in an exciting matchup against Oregon, Jeanty showed he doesn’t slow down against higher competition.
Jeanty is the type of running back that you design an offense around, and I expect him to the drafted accordingly. Not only has Jeanty cemented himself among the top of this deep running back class, but he should be the favorite for the 1.01 in Rookie Drafts next year.
2. TreVeyon Henderson – Ohio State
Late 1st Round
Ranking Henderson above his backfield made Quinshon Judkins is an opinion that is not popular in the Dynasty community, but one that I firmly believe in. This isn’t an attack on Judkins (you won’t need to scroll far to find him), this is about the elite, well rounded play we’ve seen from Henderson.
Henderson does a lot of things just as well as Judkins. He’s a powerful runner between the tackles that can move the pile, he rarely goes down on first contact, and he explodes out of sharp cuts. What puts him ahead of Judkins though, is the way he can create space with his lateral movements. It’s an elite skill that only Jeanty even approaches in this class. When Henderson finds himself with little space to run in front of him, he’s able to assess the second level of defenders and, when available, can quickly bounce himself three to four yards out laterally before quickly shooting back up the field.
We haven’t seen much in the passing game this year from Henderson, but that is more of a result of the scheme than his skills. In previous years Henderson showed he can be one of the most dangerous pass catchers out of the backfield in all of college football.
I expect Henderson to have a lot of interest from NFL teams who will be lining up to draft a well-rounded, explosive three-down back like Henderson. So much so that I don’t think he’ll find himself without a team at the end of Day 1 of the NFL Draft.
3. Quinshon Judkins – Ohio State
Late 1st Round
Before all of the Judkins fans call for my head for ranking Henderson above Judkins, notice the projected draft capital here. I think Judkins could join Henderson as a late Day 1 selection in the NFL Draft to a team that’s looking for a difference-maker in the backfield to help them contend for a Super Bowl.
Judkins has done everything asked of him in his first season at Ohio State. He’s an explosive runner, maintains speed through fluid cuts, and is almost impossible to bring down with his combination of elusiveness and strength. He has a stiff arm that should scare any defender looking to take him down in the open field.
The only real negative I’ve seen from Judkins is some inconsistency in his vision. There are a couple plays per game where a clear cutback lane will open up but Judkins plows ahead into oncoming defenders. His ability to fight through contact makes it so that he’s usually able to pick up yards even when being swarmed, but there is room for improvement in finding those cut back lanes.
A promising development has been Judkins’ ability in the passing game. He hasn’t been used there extensively, and I don’t expect him to become a high-volume pass catcher at the next level, but when he does catch the ball in space he’s a dynamic athlete that seamlessly transitions from catching the ball to shooting up field.
4. Omarion Hampton – North Carolina
Late 2nd Round
There is a significant gap between the first three running backs in this class and the next tier of rushers. That being said, this second tier of rushers would be competitive with the top of last year’s class – that’s how deep the position is this year. This tier of rushers match the first tier in their strengths but have more holes in their game that make them less complete prospects.
Hampton slides in as my top ranked rusher in this 2nd tier as a back that should be able to transition right away to a productive role in the NFL. What holds him back from that 1st tier is a lack of elusiveness and open field speed. Hampton is among the best in the class when used as a downhill, between the tackles runner. He approaches elite talent in moving the pile, something that will be useful for NFL offenses.
His limitations with lateral movement restrict his big play ability, but he’s so often successful running into the heart of the defense to pick up 3-4 yard gains. When Hampton is given an open lane, smaller defenders in the secondary have a very difficult time bringing him down, as arm tackles barely slow him down. Even when defenders do wrap him up, Hampton always seems to fall forward for extra yards.
I think Hampton will have a long career predicated on early down, high success rate rushing. His lack of elusiveness, lateral movement and pass catching limit his fantasy ceiling, but he should have an important role in the NFL.
5. Nicholas Singleton – Penn State
Late 2nd Round
I’ve been much lower on Singleton than many in the Dynasty community up to this point. For his size, he’s not much of a pile mover at the line of scrimmage, and his acceleration from standing is outright bad. That being said, I see the ceiling case that scouters rave about when watching him play.
Singleton’s best ability is running downhill and exploding out of hard cuts up field. When he’s given room behind the line of scrimmage to get up to speed, I see flashes of Adrian Peterson in his rushing ability. He hits elite speeds and at his size is incredibly difficult to slow down.
Singleton’s game could be even better suited to the NFL, where under-center downhill running plays are much more common. There are few players in the NFL with the ceiling that Singleton has when he’s allowed to get a head of steam. Singleton also looks good in the passing game so far this season. He’s shown reliable hands and even been successful running routes downfield.
I think his potential is simply too much for teams to pass up on towards the end of the 2ndround. There’s a lot of bust potential if he goes to a team that struggles to give him room to get up to speed behind the line of scrimmage or utilizes him in the wrong way, but the ceiling is hard to pass on.
6. Jaydn Ott – California
Mid 3rd Round
Ott is one of the most difficult backs to assess in this class. He hasn’t played a lot, and when he has, he’s been hampered by an ankle injury he picked up in the opening week of the season. Before picking up the injury, it was easy to see an absolute star-forming. Ott is a patient runner with the ability to break runs outside when nothing is available in front of him. He’s not looking to just get outside on every play either, as his patient approach often allows him to find the smallest holes and plunge for a positive gain when nothing seems available.
Ott has great hands out of the backfield and is extremely dynamic once he gets the ball in space. In the NFL teams wont need to take him off the field for 3rddowns and could find ways to truly unleash him in the passing game. The biggest thing holding Ott back right now is his health. It’s been painfully obvious when he’s tried to push through the ankle injury, as his play noticeably suffered, and even after taking time off to recover he found himself limited with the issue again after returning.
Ott could find himself leading this 2ndtier of backs if he can get back healthy and return to form, but until then teams could be worried with the lingering ankle injury that’s dampened his on-field success. With the talent he’s shown when healthy and his potential to have a great fit in a modern NFL offense, I can’t see Ott falling past Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
7. Devin Neal – Kansas
Late 3rd Round
Neal is a solid rusher that does a lot well, but nothing great. He’s very good at bursting through the hole with his acceleration, and can avoid tackles with his fluid cuts. He runs with good strength when he gets through to the 2ndlevel. His acceleration is probably his best skill, which allows him change speed effectively when running to the outside to gain leverage on defenders.
Despite his aggressive running style, Neal fails to push the pile. He doesn’t continue to fight forward when he hits the line and often falls on contact if he hasn’t gotten to the 2nd level.
I don’t see Neal as someone who will ever be the focal point of a team’s offense, but in the right situation, he could fill in as a starting running back who can break off some big plays. That type of rusher should have suiters among NFL front offices toward the end of Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
8. Ollie Gordon – Oklahoma State
4th Round
Gordon hasn’t been able to recreate the magic that had him among the best rushers in the country a year ago. Gordon is a hard-nosed runner who thrives on running through defenders to consistently pick up chunk runs.
Unfortunately for Gordon, outside of his opening week performance, he’s found himself getting brought down on first contact more often than he has reached the 2nd level. For a big, aggressive runner, his tackle-breaking metrics have been absolutely abysmal. If we looked at this season only in evaluating Gordon, I don’t think he’d even be selected by an NFL team. Luckily, teams will still likely hold out hope that the magic from a year ago can return and Gordon can take steps to be productive at the next level.
Too many Dynasty scouts continue to have Gordon near the top of their rankings despite terrible play this season. To me it seems defenses have figured out how to stop Gordon and he’s yet to counter. If this play continues through the rest of the season a fourth round selection may not even be in the cards for someone once thought to be a fringe Day 1 NFL Draft selection.