JACKSONVILLE – The position is strong and deep. Very deep.
That's a positive for teams seeking young running backs, with the 2025 NFL Draft unusually strong at what in recent seasons sometimes has been an overlooked – and undervalued – position.
This is a quality class of running backs. Strikingly so.
"It's really effective, really good," Jaguars and NFL Media draft analyst Bucky Brooks said of the '25 running back class.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid recently said he considered 32 running backs draftable. ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said he projected 31 players draftable backs and called it perhaps the draft's deepest position.
"The running back position is really deep," Kiper said, with Reid comparing the group to the position's strongest class in recent memory – 2017, a year when the Jaguars choosing Leonard Fournette No. 4 overall led a class in which 30 backs were selected.
"There are a lot of running backs who can play – and play for a long time," Brooks said.
The questions – as is often the case with running backs – is just how early the top players at the position will be selected and how many will be selected in Round 1. No back was selected in Round 1 of the '24 draft, and only two Bijon Robinson (Atlanta Falcons, No. 8 overall, 2023) of Texas and Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions, No. 12, 2023) of Alabama – have been selected before No. 24 overall in the last six drafts.
"My philosophy is 'Don't take a running back,''' Kiper said, echoing a sentiment shared by many NFL general managers, "but they have gone."
Ashton Jeanty of Boise State is widely considered the draft's top running back, and is projected as a Top 10 selection, with North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton also projected as a late first-round selection.
"Everyone's going to talk about the guys at the top, Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton," Brooks said. "Both of those guys are deserving of being mid-first-round or higher. But you could see those guys go early or you could see those guys go at the bottom of the first round. Behind them, there are a collection of playmakers that can get it done either as workhorses or key parts of a committee situation. There are a lot of notable names to pay attention to when it comes to the running back class."
Ohio State running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins also are projected by many as mid-to-late second-round selections. Kiper said he expects a run on the position later in the draft.
"There are a lot of running backs who will go between the fifth and sixth round," he said,
The deep class comes after what many considered a resurgent season for the position, with running back Saquon Barkley rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns and leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl title – and Derrick Henry rushing for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns and helping the Baltimore Ravens to a 12-5 record.
"It's coming back for a couple of reasons," Brooks said. "Teams are realizing how hard it is to just be a pass-fist team. You have to be able to run the football to force people out of some of the looks that are stunting the big plays and making it very difficult to score. You have to run to counter what defenses are doing.
"There's also great appreciation for the impact of a running backs. Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs [of the Green Bay Packers] did a lot to bring the running back back to prominence. They had a lot of success and teams benefitted from their ability to be workhorses.
"Everyone is beginning to look back at, 'Maybe we need to find the guy that's a three-down guy that we can just hitch a wagon to and lean on him.' That impacts it a lot."
HANDICAPPING THE JAGUARS
This is a deep, talented position for the Jaguars – with Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby having had extended runs of production and highlight-film moments during their careers. Etienne, the No. 25 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, has been the starter since Week 6 of the 2022 season and rushed for 558 yards and two touchdowns last season. Bigsby, a third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, spent last season as the backup to Etienne but he often played an extensive role and rushed for 766 yards and seven touchdowns. The Jaguars seem unlikely to select a running back at No. 5 overall, but the offensive line and running game are a major offseason focus for first-year Head Coach Liam Coen and first-year General Manager James Gladstone. Selecting a dynamic running back early or late in the draft will be possible if it's the right player for the right value.
CHANCE JAGUARS TAKE A RUNNING BACK IN ROUND ONE
- Minimal.
RBs ON THE JAGUARS ROSTER
- Travis Etienne Jr.
- Tank Bigsby
- Keilan Robinson
BUCKY BROOKS' TOP 5 2025 RUNNING BACKS
- Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
- Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
- TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
- Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
- Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
POSSIBLE FIRST-ROUND RUNNING BACKS
- Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
- Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
