2025 NFL Draft: Fantasy football players, meet the rookie RBs, who have the potential to be part of a historic class

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Fantasy football managers will rejoice when they hear this is one of the better running back classes we’ve seen in recent NFL Draft cycles. It’s led by a star prospect, could see multiple names called in Round 1 and is flush with Day 2 options that could unseat established veterans early in their careers.

The last time we saw a class in this neighborhood was in 2017, which saw two backs in Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey go in the top 10 and produced multiple star backs late like Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon and Aaron Jones. We also watched guys like James Conner, Kareem Hunt and Chris Carson have strong stretches. Even quality role players like Jamaal Williams, D’Onta Foreman, Samaje Perine and Marlon Mack came out of this class.

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The 2025 running back crop has a long way to go to reach those heights but drafters will find several intriguing names that will matter as early as their rookie season in this year’s class.

Ashton Jeanty, Boise State

Ashton Jeanty’s storied college career has finally come to an end but his journey as a future fantasy monster is just beginning.

If you’re looking at any statistics list for collegiate running backs last season, Jeanty’s presence might make you think you’ve made a mistake and filtered for two seasons. He had 2,601 rushing yards last season, No. 1 in the FBS and besting the second-place finisher, Cam Skattebo, by almost 1,000 yards. He scored 30 total touchdowns.

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The tape backs up the production for Jeanty. He’s a powerful, compact runner who maintains excellent contact balance. His stout frame doesn’t create a large strike zone for tacklers and he’s difficult to track down in congested traffic at the line of scrimmage. His whopping 5.25 yards after contact per rush attempt shows just how electric he was at creating plays on his own.

Jeanty is bound for the upper half of the first round. I struggle to see him getting out of the top 10, with the Bears being his possible floor and even a potential trade-up target for a lurking team. At some point, in a class lacking in blue-chip talent, teams will just be weighing much lower grades vs. Jeanty. The Boise State product might not be a Saquon Barkely-level prospect but many evaluators have him grouped with guys like Bijan Robinson and Ezekiel Elliott, who were featured backs early in their NFL careers.

Omarion Hampton, UNC

It feels as if Omarion Hampton has settled in as the consensus RB2 in this class. This crop of running backs after Jeanty is both deep and talented, so someone could push him with a strong landing spot in the post-draft phase of rookie analysis. That being said, Hampton is a really talented back and fits into the mold of players at the position I like.

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At 221 pounds, Hampton has good size and doesn’t lack for explosive ability. When he gets a lane, he can gash defenses. He’s hard to bring down and runs with good balance and lower-body strength. If you don’t get out of the way, he’s going to barrel into you.

Hampton lacks some nuance and makes mistakes while identifying lanes. There are some kinks to iron out in his game and he’s far from perfect as a rushing decision-maker. I’m not confident he’s a fit for all 32 teams. However, if a team with a great offensive line takes him in the late first round — that feels like the range he’s headed for — makes him their pick, he’s locking up a top-two selection in dynasty rookie drafts. The Denver Broncos are one of my favorite landing spots that check those boxes.

TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State

It’s easy to fall in love with TreVeyon Henderson’s game. The four-year college running back has a ton of production on his resume and averaged an outrageous 7.0 yards per carry in his final season. He’s a big-play rusher who looks like a natural fit for an outside zone run scheme that asks their back to push the edge.

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Henderson was also a fantastic asset in the passing game in Chip Kelly’s 2024 offense. Not only did he snag 27 passes, he’s a tremendous pass-blocker. That gets a rookie back on the field early and allows him to hold down a job. He’s a three-down player who gets rave character reviews out of Ohio State.

Henderson is an easy sell in multiple facets and compares favorably to Aaron Jones. I’m not the first one to offer up that comp. You may want to spell him with a bigger back to take some grinder carries but he can really take a backfield to a new level. I can’t wait to see where he lands in late April.

Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State

Henderson is awesome but don’t overlook his backfield mate, Quinshon Judkins, who joined Ohio State after starting his career at Ole Miss. Judkins is the proverbial thunder to Henderson’s lightning but that typical committee-back labeling doesn’t do either player justice, particularly Judkins.

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At 6-foot, 221 pounds with 4.48 speed, Judkins has the frame to carry a heavy workload and the juice to hit big runs. He tested out as a strong athlete at the NFL scouting combine and I think that shows up on tape. He has a grinder-back’s game and aggressive rushing style but he’s not a slug. Nevertheless, he’s a monster on money downs, converting 61.5% of his third-down runs into first downs.

Judkins has the nuance and sustaining rushing style of David Montgomery but might offer more big-play potential. If a team makes him a Round 2 selection and has an open depth chart, I like him to make an instant fantasy impact in 2025.

Dylan Sampson, Tennessee

Dylan Sampson took home SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2024, but any time a prospect comes out of that Looney Tunes Tennessee offense, we are looking at a small number of translatable reps. He won’t see the amount of wide-open lanes and light boxes Tennessee’s spread offense provides its running backs.

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That said, Sampson passes the test on those isolated reps. He has great rushing instances and has good vision working through the trash in between the tackles. Sampson might not have the right frame to be a featured back but those skills could earn him an early role in short-yardage and goal-line situations if he’s not tied to a size-obsessed coach. He’d do well in a gap scheme where he can read out lanes on the interior.

Sampson might not present the upside that the top backs in the class will offer fantasy managers but he has enough tools in his bag to hang around in the league a long time.

Kaleb Johnson, Iowa

Kaleb Johnson is starting to fly under the radar after he offered up a lackluster performance at the NFL scouting combine while many of his peers blew it out of the water. But then you go back to the tape and you see a perfectly capable back who handled a ton of work in college.

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Johnson isn’t the fastest runner but he gets himself into open space. He averaged 4.42 yards after contact per carry, fifth-best among FBS running backs with 140-plus carries. His vision makes him an ideal fit in a zone-blocking scheme much like the one he played in at Iowa. The skills that make him a smart zone runner and his somewhat gliding running style make Charles McDonald’s recent player comparison so apt:

If Johnson’s poor combine makes him a draft-day faller, it would be to the benefit of a smart team willing to overlook athletic testing at a position where that doesn’t move the needle. Let’s all hope that the hypothetical squad is one of the operations that heavily leans on a traditional zone run game.

Cam Skattebo, Arizona State

Cam Skettebo is one of the most well-known players nationwide coming into this year’s NFL Draft. He played for a strong Arizona State program last season and was ultra-productive. He was second in the FBS with 1,711 rushing yards and scored 21 times on the ground. That’s not all — he was an impactful receiver, catching 45 passes at 13.4 yards per reception with four more touchdowns on top. Just over 51% of his receptions went for a first down.

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Evaluators have questions about how much his game will translate to the pro level, mainly due to a lack of speed. He also plays the game like a battering ram, which makes for an absolutely electric product but may cause injury issues at the pros if he doesn’t inject more nuance into his game.

Overall, Skattebo gives me James Conner vibes, if everything comes together for him. He’s tough as nails and isn’t just an early-down banger. I’m quite curious where he lands in the NFL Draft and if some team is bullish enough on his pro translation to take him on Day 2.

Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech

The Virginia Tech back was the story of the NFL scouting combine as the 206-pounder ripped off a 4.32 40-yard dash, fastest at the position. Bhayshul Tuten is a skilled player who has been productive when available. He was sixth among running backs with 140-plus carries and 4.4 yards after contact per carry.

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The traits are nice on Tuten but there are medical questions after he dealt with lower-body injuries in college.

His tape is also a little bit of a mixed bag, as he’s a bit indecisive when working through rushing lanes and he’s quick to bounce runs to the outside. That said, he’s explosive and runs with fire. If he can make his way to an outside zone scheme that defines lanes for its backs, I can see him turning into a starter in the NFL.

Other key names to know

Jaydon Blue is another speed demon skill-position prospect out of Texas. I don’t think he’s the most nuanced runner in the world but works well once he gets to the open field and possesses home-run hitting traits. If he develops as a receiver, he could turn into a Day 3 value.

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Devin Neal is a no-nonsense runner who just gets the job done. He trims all the fat off of each run in order to get every yard that’s blocked, plus a little extra. Evaluators who love a “teach-tape” runner will be all about Neal. He could outproduce several guys who go ahead of him if he lands with the right system.

[It’s not too late — join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2025 MLB season]

Travis Etienne Jr. is the current Jaguars running back. Travis younger brother Trevor is coming in from the Florida Gators. He’s under 200 pounds but he gets through holes quickly and has receiving ability. He could end up as the passing-down back in a committee and push for 50 to 60 catches. That matters in fantasy.

Damien Martinez is the guy I don’t see ranked higher, which confuses me. The Miami back ranked third in yards after contact per attempt and first in third-down rush conversion rate among backs with 140-plus carries. He has quick feet and runs with power. Defenders just have a tough time tackling him in space. Martinez might not have the passing-game skills of other backs in the class but looks like a fit as an early-down banger.

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