NFL draft preview: Ashton Jeanty leads deep class of running backs
Ah, running backs. The position presents a larger question. There is a deep draft class this year, but the NFL has devalued drafting running backs. Can this year’s set of prospects buck the league’s trend?
This is sixth in a series of position previews for the 2025 NFL draft. Today: Running backs
Ah, running backs. The position presents a larger question. There is a deep draft class this year, but the NFL has devalued drafting running backs. Can this year’s set of prospects buck the league’s trend?
ESPN’s draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. understands the approach most teams will take, even with a plethora of viable options.
“I have 33 (running backs) with draftable grades, and very few teams are going to prioritize running backs,” Kiper said last month on a conference call. “You’re going to see undrafted free agents come in (at running back) and make teams. You can get a really good running back in the second to fourth round.
“I love running backs. I just don’t love them in the first round.”
The 2025 draft boasts a strong group of running backs, with some splashy playmakers. Still, don’t look for many of them to go early.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid thinks the class will hold up well in eventual hindsight.
“This is a deep running back class,” Reid said last week. “I think it’s similar to what we saw in 2017. That was the Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon draft, Dalvin Cook, as well, and Alvin Kamara. It’s not as star-studded at the top. We don’t have a McCaffrey or Leonard Fournette, the type of prospect they were. But that was the last time this century that 30 running backs were drafted.
“I have 32 draftable grades at running back. So, I think we could get over 30 this year. That shows how deep this class is. … Four to five years from now, I think it could be mentioned in the same breath as that 2017 class.”
Overall position ranking: 8/10
Bills view: It depends on how long term you’re looking here. For the upcoming season, the Buffalo Bills are set with James Cook, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis returning. There is some angst in the Bills fan base with Cook looking for more money, but overall, there are needs this draft that are much more pressing for Buffalo. Look around the league, and you’ll see other teams move on quickly at the position.
“Running back is such a disposable position, unless you have that elite guy,” Reid said. “We’re seeing teams draft guys Day 2, Day 3, and running those guys into the ground and drafting a guy another year.”
Bills need ranking: 3/10.
Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty runs against Penn State during the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31 in Glendale, Ariz.
The Heisman Trophy runner-up may be the first running back taken in this month’s NFL draft. Rick Scuteri, Associated Press
The best: Ashton Jeanty. The consensus top running back, Jeanty has the makings of a superstar at the next level. A two-year starter at Boise State, Jeanty cracked a top 10 grade – if not top 5 – of many big boards from draft analysts across the country. Jeanty led the NCAA in rushing yards (2,601) and all-purpose yards (2,750) in 2024. His rushing-yards total was historic, ranking second-most in NCAA history, just 28 yards short of Barry Sanders’ 1988 record.
Jeanty was well decorated, winning the Doak Walker Award (given to the nation’s top running back) and the Maxwell Award (player of the year), as well as finishing second in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Jeanty is explosive, but purposeful, and his ability to break tackles is sure to catch the eyes of NFL scouts.
Names to know: North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton has a resume speckled with “second only to Ashton Jeanty.” Some of those second-only stats include: rushing yards (1,660), rushing yards per game (138) and yards after contact (1,222, per Pro Football Focus). Hampton is big and physical, and he can break tackles and catch passes. The junior running back accelerates well, and he powers through defenders.
A pair of Ohio State running backs are fresh off a national championship and eyeing what’s next: senior TreVeyon Henderson and junior Quinshon Judkins. Both have the potential to start right away at their respective next stops. As a four-year starter, Henderson is proven, but Judkins’ lighter career workload could be seen as a benefit. Henderson is good in space with excellent vision. Judkins runs low and tough, and he logged three touchdowns in the title game.
Sibling watch: Georgia’s Trevor Etienne, the younger brother of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Travis, is not as speedy as the older sibling, but he has a nice burst. Trevor Etienne is a good receiver who can thrive with shared duties, instead of as the bell cow.
Sleeper: LeQuint Allen. The Syracuse junior had 64 catches last season, which led all FBS running backs. He breaks tackles, but could work on his speed.