Running backs are back! Last season's strong performances by veterans Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry have NFL teams thinking differently about the position in the draft. But here's the thing: Teams don't have to select a running back early in the 2025 draft to get a good one.
This year presents a very good class of backs, according to our BackCAST projection system. Last year, Braelon Allen was the only prospect with a BackCAST over 40%. This year, nine backs have a score over 40%. And eight others have an above-average score. In addition, most of the top backs also have quality receiving talent. Good running backs will be coming off the board in all seven rounds.
Here is how BackCAST, which was developed by Nathan Forster, works. It projects running back success based on statistics that have correlated with success in the past. Historically, a college running back who has a good size-speed combination, had a high average yards per carry and represented a large percentage of his college team's running attack is more likely to succeed at the NFL level.
BackCAST considers these factors and projects the degree to which the running back will exceed the NFL production of an "average" drafted back during his first five years in the NFL. For example, a running back with a plus-50% score is projected to gain 50% more yards than the "average" drafted running back. It also projects whether each running back is likely to be heavily involved in the receiving game or is more of a "ground-and-pound" back.
What follows are some of the notable projections for running back prospects in the 2025 draft.
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Full BackCAST Score rankings
Methodology: How it works
1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
BackCAST score: plus-114.9%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 5
Type of running back: Balanced
Similar historical prospects: Dalvin Cook, DeAngelo Williams
Jeanty has everything NFL teams want in a running back: burst, strong cuts and an almost incredible ability to break tackles. Sports Info Solutions credited him with 84 broken tackles in 2024, 35 ahead of second-place Cam Skattebo. He also led all backs in the FBS in receiving yards (569) two seasons ago.
If the comparisons based on Jeanty's stats don't look impressive enough, take solace in the fact that his total BackCAST score puts him right below Bijan Robinson and Reggie Bush. And this projection might be too low because we had to estimate a 40-yard dash time for Jeanty after he didn't run at the combine or at Boise State's pro day.
2. Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
BackCAST Score: plus-84.4%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 13
Type of running back: Balanced
Similar historical prospects: Willis McGahee, LaDainian Tomlinson
Then again, if a team doesn't get a chance to draft Jeanty, Hampton makes a pretty great second option. He ran a 4.46-second 40 at the combine at 221 pounds and has an exciting blend of power and speed. He also is a strong receiver, is a big-play threat after the catch and even gets high marks for pass blocking.
3. Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
BackCAST Score: plus-70.4%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 62
Type of running back: Receiving
Similar historical prospects: Jeremy McNichols, Alvin Kamara
Yes, a 219-pounder can qualify as a "receiving back." Skattebo had 36 receiving yards per game in 2024, over a dozen more than any other prospect (except for Mississippi State's Woody Marks). Skattebo is another big-time tackle-breaker, finishing second to Jeanty in the FBS last season. The only negative? He put up "only" 5.5 yards per attempt over two seasons at Arizona State, which is about average for a top running back prospect.
4. DJ Giddens, Kansas State
BackCAST Score: plus-66.2%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 90
Type of running back: Balanced
Similar historical prospects: Chuba Hubbard, Laurence Maroney
More speed here, as Giddens ran a 4.43 40 at the combine and averaged 6.6 yards per carry in his final season at Kansas State. He was also tied for the second-best broad jump (10-foot-10) and second-best vertical jump (39.5 inches) out of all the backs at the combine.
5. Damien Martinez, Miami
BackCAST Score: plus-61.7%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 118
Type of running back: Ground-and-pound
Similar historical prospects: J.K. Dobbins, Tyler Allgeier
Here's our first BackCAST sleeper, as Scouts Inc. has Martinez ranked only 12th among running backs. However, he averaged over 6.0 yards per carry in all three years of college, the first two at Oregon State and then last season at Miami. Martinez is primarily a straight-ahead runner, but he can make defenders miss. A 40 time of 4.51 seconds is not spectacular, but it's pretty good for a 217-pound power back.
6. Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
BackCAST Score: plus-53.9%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 210
Type of running back: Balanced
Similar historical prospects: LaMont Jordan, Isaiah Spiller
And here's an even bigger BackCAST sleeper, as Scouts Inc. has Gordon ranked 24th among backs. BackCAST loves that the Oklahoma State coaches were willing to trust him with so much of the Cowboys' running game, as he ranks second in this class to Jeanty in our AOEPS metric, which measures opportunity. Gordon is big -- tied for third in weight for this year's class at 226 pounds -- but also has strong receiving skills.
His best season was in 2023, when he led the nation with 1,732 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. The team that drafts Gordon will have to figure out what happened to him last season, when he fell from 6.1 to 4.6 yards per carry. But nonetheless, he still had 13 touchdowns.
7. RJ Harvey, UCF
BackCAST Score: plus-52.7%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 96
Type of running back: Balanced
Similar historical prospects: J.J. Arrington, D'Andre Swift
Harvey is a small back at 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds, and he ran the fourth-fastest 40 time at the combine (4.4 seconds). He led the FBS in rushing touchdowns (22) and yards per carry (6.8) last season, averaging at least 6.3 yards per carry in each of his three seasons. He's also a dangerous pass catcher, with 12.5 and 13.4 yards per reception in the past two seasons. At 24, he's a little older than other prospects, but that shouldn't matter until his second NFL contract.
8. Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
BackCAST Score: plus-50.4%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 51
Type of running back: Ground-and-pound
Similar historical prospects: Cam Akers, Thomas Jones
9. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
BackCAST Score: plus-47.7%
Scouts Inc. ranking: 31
Type of running back: Balanced
Similar historical prospects: Tyjae Spears, Isaiah Pead
Judkins and Henderson are ranked fourth and third among backs by Scouts Inc., respectively, so it might look as if these well-regarded Buckeyes are overrated since they're eighth and ninth on our list. But that's not really the case because the BackCAST difference between third and ninth is not very significant.
Judkins is the larger (6 feet, 221 pounds), more physical back but still ran an impressive 4.48 40 at the combine. Henderson (5-10, 202 pounds) averaged 7.1 yards per carry in 2024 and ran a 4.43 40 at the combine. Judkins played a larger role in the Ohio State running game and is a better size-speed package. But Henderson was more efficient last season and had better receiving numbers -- Henderson had 284 yards compared with Judkins' 161. That gives them similar BackCAST scores.
Note about the table below: RecIndex represents how much each player is a receiving back, with positive numbers equaling more receiving value and negative numbers equaling less.
* = Did not run the 40 at the combine, estimated time based on weight and projected draft position.
** = Did not run the 40 at the combine; time from pro day listed.
Methodology: How BackCAST works
BackCAST is based on a statistical analysis of Division I halfbacks drafted in the years 1998-2023 and measures the following:
The prospect's weight at the NFL combine.
The prospect's 40-yard dash at the combine. If he did not run, BackCAST uses his pro day time, and if he did not run there, then BackCAST uses a 40 projection based on weight and projected draft position.
The prospect's yards per attempt with an adjustment for running backs who had fewer career carries than an average drafted back.
The prospect's AOEPS, which measures how much, on average, the prospect's team used him in the running game during his career relative to the usage of an average drafted running back during the same year of eligibility.
The prospect's receiving yards per game in his college career.
BackCAST was developed by Nathan Forster.