Welcome back to the 2025 NFL Draft Scouting series. This series will taking NFL scouting and help apply it for 2025 dynasty rookie rankings. While last week we looked at the three presumed blue chip prospects in this year’s running back class, this week we look at Ohio State’s acclaimed thunder and lightning tandem, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Both players will be looking to crash the party and leapfrog one or more of the presumed top three players, but how do they fare?
Without burying the lede, Quinshon Judkins brings a high floor to the table, with numerous starter-level traits, but perhaps not enough loud, star-caliber traits. TreVeyon Henderson, a nearly perfect foil, can make you jump out of your seat but lacks the lunchpail consistency of a workhorse back. Ohio State knew exactly what they had, primarily using Judkins for the inside rushing work and Henderson for outside runs and pass catching.
The sections of this article will follow the categories laid out in the final part of the Get Better at Dynasty series copied here for your convenience...
Recall that the highlighting in the template reflects the relative importance of each trait, whereas in the actual prospect report it represents how strong they are in that skill.
2025 NFL Draft Scouting:
Ohio State’s Ford and Ferrari
Fantasy-Relevant Traits
Goal Line
Neither Ohio State running back profiles to shine in this area quite like the “big three” scouted in Part 1, but Judkins profiles as the more likely to earn this responsibility. While Judkins falls slightly short of the classic goal line build, being officially listed at 6’0” 219 but likely sporting a slightly lighter playing weight, he at least shows very good vision through the A and B gaps and is quite capable of pushing through the muck, falling forward, and punching the ball in.
He will definitely get opportunities around the goal line at the NFL level, but I stop just short of foreseeing him consistently racking up a star-level market share of his team’s goal line opportunities. TreVeyon Henderson meanwhile leaves a lot to be desired in the short yardage, high leverage areas. Listed at 208 lbs, his game notably lacks a strength component.
Not only is he smaller than your typical goal line back, but in my opinion he also fails to play above his listed size. It’s certainly not a question of desire or grit. Henderson is very willing to initiate violent collisions, but either because of pad level, leg drive, or pure physics, he just Does. Not. Fall. Forward.
This is not a case of “Well Bucky Irving is tiny but he plays like he’s much bigger”. A team drafting Henderson needs to roster a role player who can handle these kinds of situations, because too many times I would pause his tape and think “surely he will punch his way through” only to be disappointed. To be clear, Ohio State still opted to use him frequently enough, and when the play was well blocked he wasn’t a negative, but in the NFL it’s very likely he has a teammate who is better in these situations than him.
There is hope for a player at his size to be busy around the goal line, just look at the equity De’Von Achane, Kyren Williams, and Bucky Irving have managed to earn there, but with the information I have now, this is an area of concern.
Pass Catching
While I much prefer Judkins over Henderson at the goal line, the script flips here, as Henderson brings rare, valuable ability in this area. While Henderson’s pure reception totals don’t jump off the page, he shows flashes of week-winning downfield receiving chops. Let’s start with the areas where he can improve. Henderson’s hands are just ok, but that’s mostly because he is asked to catch tougher balls than most backs.
While he catches the routine ones, he sometimes left big plays on the field by struggling to adjust late to the ball or to reel the ball in at the very edge of his catch radius. Nobody will confuse him with Aaron Jones here. On releases into the flat, he also sometimes fights the ball. While he catches it, it slows him down a little and it takes him a moment to turn into a runner.
Crucially though, Henderson shows excellent ability to win on high-value downfield routes. At Ohio State, he was asked to run wheel routes, slot fades, double moves, and sluggos (sell a slant, then turn it into a go route). When he is matched up with a linebacker, this is genuinely a touchdown waiting to happen. If he is paired with an offensive coordinator who wants to motion him into these matchups, he will score fantasy points in chunks multiple times per season.
This could be an absolute game changer in fantasy football. While Ohio State did not ask him to run many slot receiver routes, he definitely has the agility and burst to rack up easy wins on short, horizontally breaking routes. Finally, he will bring more run after catch ability to the table on checkdowns than most backs in the league.
Judkins meanwhile is much more of a checkdown and dump off sort of guy. He catches what’s thrown to him, but there isn’t much juice beyond that to his receiving game. One of the rare times I saw him asked to run an in-breaking route in the intermediate part of the field, his footwork was unrefined and his acceleration out of his break was lacking.
While not asked to catch downfield much, he did drop the ball one of the times he actually got a target in this area. Like Henderson, you see the ball slow him down when he fights it a little. To the extent he catches passes in the NFL, it’ll be because he’s on the field a lot as his team’s starting running back, but I don’t expect him to score a ton of fantasy points catching the ball unless the situation pans out really well.
Elusiveness
This area is where Judkins and Henderson earn the “Ford v Ferrari” moniker. Judkins, more of a Ford Fusion, lacks nothing in this area but also is missing a certain amount of star power. He will get you from A to B, but you’re not going to feel like a hotshot doing so. He shows enough burst to get to the second level and even make a big play, but it’s not going to be the reason a team drafts him. When running outside, his explosion can leave something to be desired.
Judkins’ contact balance is quite good, his best trait in this area, as he can sometimes string together broken tackles and create a 15 yard gain. He’ll also throw in a nasty stiff arm for good measure. As far as lateral agility goes, Judkins takes short, choppy strides that help him adjust on the fly and get from side to side in a pinch, but he lacks the types of jump cuts and explosion that help him bounce runs or win the corner. His lateral agility is more of a way to gain a few extra yards than a way to flip a play from a loser to an explosive run.
Henderson in the meantime is more like the sports car, but later in the article we’ll see where that’s not always a compliment. As far as elusiveness goes, his lateral agility is excellent. Henderson truly has highlight worthy jump cuts in his game, paired with the ability to juke the first defender. His cuts can change the complexion of a play, turning a run that looks poorly blocked into a mad scramble just to keep him from housing it.
He also regains his speed very quickly after making a cut, showing the explosion necessary to get back up to top speed instantly after changing direction. While Henderson’s contact balance is not bad when he absorbs a glancing blow at full speed, it’s not a trait that will wow scouts, especially not when he’s picking his way through a scrum at the line of scrimmage.
Explosive Play Ability
TreVeyon Henderson absolutely excels in this area, and will step right into the league as one of the top explosive play threats at the running back position. His burst after making a cut is elite, and he can erase angles for all but the fastest defensive backs.
He absolutely is one missed tackle away from a long touchdown run, particularly on outside runs. Anytime he is running outside, the entire defense needs to make absolutely sure they’re funneling him into help, because if he turns the corner, it’s a huge risk that he goes the distance.
Unlike Henderson, Judkins leaves something to be desired in this area. There were many times I saw him decline the opportunity to turn the corner and rip off a chunk gain because he knew he didn’t quite have it in him to win that footrace. To the extent he does rip off chunk plays, it’s when he picks his way cleanly through the trenches on an inside run, and then he does have just enough burst and long speed to take it to the house.
However, this won’t be considered an above average trait relative to his NFL peers. When he is in the second level, his contact balance and stiff arm help him out a lot here, but I included that more so in his elusiveness rating, so I won’t count it twice here.
Traits That Matter For Earning a Role
Ball Security
Over 667 touches at the NCAA level, TreVeyon Henderson only fumbled twice, and none of those were recovered by the defense. He’s been about as good as it gets in terms of ball security. Judkins also excels in this area, only fumbling four times (three fumbles lost) over his career on 739 rushing attempts, and two were during his true freshman season.
Early Down Rushing
This is where the “Ford v Ferrari” moniker flips into being a compliment to Judkins and a downside to Henderson. Judkins shows excellent vision on inside runs, and his short strides are an asset here, as he can make quick adjustments to pick his way through the scrum. This ability gives him a very high floor as a starter at the NFL level.
He also has good but not great burst and strength to get more than what’s blocked for him. He’s not routinely falling forward like I saw with Omarion Hampton, but there are plenty of times he surprises you with just how much extra he’s able to get.
Let’s get to Henderson. Have you ever had a friend with a really nice sports car who absolutely refuses to take it to certain specific cities because the roads weren’t of the requisite quality? There are times where TreVeyon Henderson’s team will need to store the Ferrari in the garage and bring out the trusty commuter car. TreVeyon Henderson needs to be paired with a teammate who brings the thunder to his lightning.
Without mincing words, I thought his inside rushing was bad. He looks much more indecisive back there, teetering between just diving into the scrum vs freelancing and bouncing the run. Rather than “hitting the hole hard”, he steps through tentatively. He also just does not fall forward. He is not at all afraid of contact but the ability to win with pad level and leg drive is simply not there.
There is a notably missing strength component to his game. I’m not saying that just any arm tackle can bring him down, but he is definitely not adding value through his physicality. Compounding this issue is that Henderson seemed to break down and get dinged up when trying to shoulder a full-service role during his sophomore and junior seasons at Ohio State.
Ryan Day knew exactly what he was doing when he brought in Quinshon Judkins to shoulder more of that load, and he was rewarded with a healthy season for Henderson and a national championship. This dynamic will not be lost on general managers and head coaches, who will absolutely plan to pair Henderson with an early down back in a high-end committee. Keep in mind though that almost every backfield in the NFL is a committee nowadays, and I do want to own Henderson shares for what I expect is a high-value role.
There is an upside case for Henderson, who has just enough size and ability that if circumstances fall the right way, he can have a Chase Brown-like run as a workhorse running back. However, except for cases of underperformance or injury, his NFL team will plan to have a dedicated early down guy who takes this off his hands.
Pass Blocking
I love watching TreVeyon Henderson pass block. First of all, he legitimately pancakes smaller blitzing safeties and linebackers. He also throws nasty chips when helping out his offensive tackles. Finally, he really stops pass rushers in their tracks, making sure to land a punch rather than “catching”, which is when the running back waits back for the edge rusher to deliver the blow.
Judkins is a liability in this area. He wasn’t asked to pass block a ton due to Henderson’s presence, but he missed more blocks than he landed in the snaps I watched. He tends to lunge, and it rarely worked even against college level defenders. I do not see Judkins staying on the field in obvious pass situations.
Short Yardage
Man, was Henderson ever disappointing in this area. There were times I paused the tape and wondered to myself, “how did this not get converted into a first down?”. Not only does he not fall forward, as previously mentioned, but it’s something with how he’s wired too. He doesn’t have the intuition to find a crease that’s just big enough to push through and fall forward.
Judkins wasn’t actively outstanding in this area, but he has a certain amount of tenacity and strength that Henderson is lacking. His inside rushing vision is also a plus in this area.
Overall
Overall, Quinshon Judkins has starter-level traits almost across the board and a high floor, but lacks the highest end of traits that would make him a star or a priority on his team’s offense. He is a functional piece every team would much rather have than not have, but I don’t see the ceiling to carry an offense like I do with the players ahead of him. He would be an outstanding fit on a team that already has a home run hitter type, but needs down-to-down consistency, such as the Bengals or Bears.
What differentiates Kaleb Johnson, another run-first back, from Judkins is that I would not at all be surprised to see Johnson go through stretches where his team relies on him as an offensive focal point, much like the heater Josh Jacobs went on during the fantasy playoffs. I have trouble envisioning that for Judkins. I just don’t quite see the elite traits that make a team cater its offensive game plan to him.
TreVeyon Henderson, a perfect foil to Judkins, is an electric piece that any offensive coordinator would love to include in their offense, but is lacking a certain amount of inside rushing ability necessary to be a true workhorse. There is definitely a ceiling where a lack of competition turns him into a workhorse, ala Chase Brown, but the most likely and ideal scenario for him is that he’s drafted as a luxury pick on an elite offense that has plenty of opportunity to go around.
Think of Jahmyr Gibbs, but the version we see when David Montgomery is healthy. He will be an elite dynasty asset if he lands in a situation where his outside rushing and receiving ability are unlocked, but will be a disappointment if the 1A back sharing his committee is too good to take off the field often.
Profile: TreVeyon Henderson
An electric 1B option, as in top three in the NFL at this role. While I would guess he gets fewer touches than Judkins on average, he will score more fantasy points per-touch and could be somebody who fantasy managers cannot afford to bench because of a pass catching floor and big play ceiling.
Profiles with pass catching ability paired with big play rushing ability are not ones I want to pass on in dynasty. I can’t quite put him in the same tier as Omarion Hampton and Kaleb Johnson because I expect his draft capital to be a tier less than theirs, and because there is less guess work with the NFL roles of those two.
Best Case
He is ignored by bad teams needing a full service back and falls into the lap of an elite offensive team who can’t wait to unleash him against beleaguered defenses. His offensive coordinator motions him out wide against linebackers and unlocks his ability to run “easy” routes in the slot.
We get a high pass catching floor, plus 12-ish carries per game that occasionally become huge touchdown runs. The inside rushing develops enough to get him to a 15 carry type of floor by year three, and he settles into a 1A role.
Worst Case
He becomes a “better in best ball” type with a traditional play caller who uses him as a designated third down back but who prefers to rely on his trusty bruiser of a running back on most plays. He still is good for the occasional big play, but more often than not, he has too small a slice of a small pie to be a consistent starter in fantasy.
Profile: Quinshon Judkins
Starter-level two-down back who can justifiably stay on the field on third and medium and release out of the backfield rather than pass block. An important floor piece as the third option on his offense, or a productive but slightly miscast second option on his team (best outcome for fantasy).
There will be times his offense leans on him to steady the ship, but also times he’s more of an afterthought as the game script or matchup dictates a pass-heavy approach.
Best Case
Judkins becomes the 1A in a productive offense and is highly efficient in part because he executes a good offense at a high level and in part because of his innate vision and ability to play through contact. I’m wrong that he played lighter than 219 lbs and he actually has prototype size for a workhorse back. While not being quite as talented as the elite workhorse types, he never comes off the field except on third and long and posts 19-110-2 lines every now and then.
Think of Kyren Williams' usage, where he is rewarded more so for executing at a high level than for creating at an elite level. Buyer beware, there aren’t a ton of offenses that will channel that much volume into this type of player.
Worst Case
Judkins is good but not great on a team that doesn’t have the luxury to rely on him. He falls in and out of game scripts, not because there is anything wrong with him, but because he doesn’t quite have the high end traits to demand prioritization in an offensive game plan. This is the downside of ranking him high in 2025 dynasty rookie rankings.