2025 Rookie Draft Guide: RBs

We are continuing our rookie guide preview series with a look at RBs. 

At the running back position, there are several predictive metrics we will be evaluating:

1. Draft Capital - how early a player gets picked in the NFL draft. We will be using projected draft capital from mock drafts prior to the NFL draft.

2. College target share - the percentage of a team’s targets that a back received

3. Speed score, a metric that shows us a player’s size adjusted speed

Once again, you may be asking how we are not considering any rushing metrics here? Once again, we hear you. Similarly to QB’s passing production, rushing production is better accounted for via draft capital than any combination of rushing metrics. We will still be referencing yards per carry, as well as providing a brief summary of college rushing production in our analysis, in order to give us a holistic view of each running back. When it comes to fantasy football, we want running backs that can contribute in both the run and pass game. These 3 metrics are the best for identifying which prospects are most likely to do that in the NFL.

2025 RB Rankings

TIER 1

Player: Ashton Jeanty

Rank: RB1

Writeup: Ashton Jeanty is in a tier of his own in what is a strong and deep 2025 running back draft class. Jeanty checks every box we look for with rookie running backs. 

Jeanty was a hyper-efficient and highly-productive back at Boise State, averaging 7 yards per carry (93rd percentile) on his way to 2,739 total yards and 30 touchdowns in his final season. Jeanty also showed he can excel as a pass catcher, his 10.8% college target share ranks in the 84th percentile. 

Even when you adjust for a relatively weak strength of schedule, Jeanty has an elite prospect profile. Jeanty is likely to get picked within the first 12 picks of the NFL draft, making him likely to be the only running back taken in the first round of the NFL draft. 

Top-3 comparable prospects: Jahmyr Gibbs, LaDanian Tomlinson, Reggie Bush.

TIER 2

Player: Omarion Hampton

Rank: RB2

Writeup: Omarion Hampton is a strong prospect that could have been the RB1 in previous draft classes. He’s a bruising back on the ground with a 93rd percentile size adjusted speed score. The Tar Heel recorded over 2,000 all-purpose yards in his final collegiate season, and he’s a capable pass-catcher too, his 11.2% college target share ranks in the 85th percentile.

It’s unlikely that Hampton will “wow” you with a juke or spin, but he plays like a bulldozer, and is hard to bring down once he gets a full head of steam. He has the potential to thrive at the goal line in the NFL. He’s got a chance to sneak into the first round, and it would be shocking to see him slip past round 2. With the strong production, 85th percentile pass-catching ability, 93rd percentile size adjusted speed, and round 1 or 2 draft capital, Hampton is a safe bet to produce in year 1 and beyond for fantasy managers.

Top-3 Comparisons: Jonathan Taylor, Sony Michel, Leonard Fournette

Player: TreVeyon Henderson

Rank: RB3

Writeup: TreVeyon Henderson broke onto the scene immediately his freshman year, producing 1,560 total yards and 19 TDs alongside elite talent at Ohio State. Henderson’s a speedster with a 92nd percentile 40-yard dash and an 80th percentile size adjusted speed score. He is more than capable of breaking off big plays.

His receiving numbers were a bit uninspiring, his 7.5% college target share ranks in the 62nd percentile. He’s likely a better pass catcher than his target share suggests given the immense competition he had for targets on his own team. Similarly, there are some question marks about the type of workload Henderson could earn at the NFL level since he never had more than 200 carries in a season. This past season Henderson had 50 fewer carries than fellow draft prospect Quinshon Judkins, but Henderson’s strong 7.1 yards per carry (compared to 5.5 for Judkins) was a major factor in the Buckeyes winning the National Championship. 

Drawing comparisons to Reggie Bush and Jahmyr Gibbs, Henderson is an exciting prospect that will likely go to a team to be the Ying to a powerback’s Yang. If he goes somewhere as the lead back, he’s going to offer immense fantasy upside. Either way, he should provide immediate fantasy value in year 1.

Top-3 Comparable Prospects: Reggie Bush, James Cook, Tony Pollard

Player: Quinshon Judkins

Rank: RB4

Writeup: Judkins was less efficient than TreVeyon Henderson at Ohio State last year, but he did get 45 more total touches - an impressive and noteworthy feat especially considering he is a full year younger than Hendereson. Judkins has all the tools to be an excellent running back in the NFL.

Throughout his college career, he showed an ability to produce in short-yardage with his combination of size and burst. His 109 speed score ranks in the 91st percentile, helping him draw comparisons to some of the elite rushing prospects like Nick Chubb. The main flaw in Judkins profile, and why he is ranked behind fellow teammate Henderson in this class before the draft, is his receiving ability. Judkins 6.5% college target share ranks in just the 50th percentile. Here are all the running backs with a college target share under 9% and a speed score over 100 that were picked in round 2 since 2015: James Cook, AJ Dillon, Derrius Guice, Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry. Not too shabby. 

Judkins will be on the fantasy radar immediately if he can earn that round 2 draft capital or he can land on a team where he can earn an immediate early-down role. Even if he lands on a team with significant competition, he’s already shown the ability to produce in crowded rooms on great offenses. 

Top-3 Comparable Prospects: Nick Chubb, Brian Robinson Jr., Jonathan Stewart

Player: Kaleb Johnson

Rank: RB5

Writeup: 

Johnson didn’t produce much in his first two seasons at Iowa. But, in his final season, he recorded a staggering 1,537 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. He’s a capable pass-catcher too, his 10.4% target share ranks in the 83rd percentile. 

He ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, giving him a 73rd percentile size adjusted speed-score, and he’s expected to go in the 2nd or 3rd round of this year’s draft. He lacks the top-end size adjusted speed that some of the other backs in this class bring to the table, but if he gets round 2 draft capital he will be in a position to produce for fantasy right away in year 1. Johnson heads into the NFL draft as our rookie RB5 in the class, but he will need a good landing spot to hold onto that ranking after the draft in such a stacked running back class.

Top-3 Comparable Prospects: James Conner, Royce Freeman Zack Moss

Rankings and write-ups for every RB prospect AND fantasy rankings for every position can be found in the WalterPicks App!