Below, you'll find my current Top 5 running backs for the 2025 NFL Draft.Â
We still have plenty of games left to play out, followed by the pre-draft process — so things can and will change. But if the draft were tomorrow, this is how my board would look:
Top 5 Running Backs for the 2025 NFL Draft
- Ashton Jeanty | Boise State | 5’8/217
- Kaleb Johnson | Iowa | 6’0/225
- Omarion Hampton | North Carolina | 5’11/220
- Quinshon Judkins | Ohio State | 5’11/219
- Jonah Coleman | Washington | 5’9/225
Check out my other prospect ranks here: Top 5 QBs | Top 5 WRs | Top 5 TEs
Breaking Down the RB class
Jeanty, who will turn 21 next month, has locked down the RB1 designation for April’s draft with one of the most incredible RB seasons we’ve seen in recent memory. Jeanty has run for more than 125 yards in every game this season, and more than 185 in five of eight. Jeanty is running more but being used as a receiver less this fall. Luckily, receiving is not a question on his eval – he posted a 43-569-5 line last season and has, throughout his career, flashed great skill in that area. You could pick a million different stats to speak to his greatness. Here’s one: Jeanty’s 83 forced missed tackles in 2024 is 24 more than the next-highest RB in the FBS.
The biggest riser in this class is Iowa’s Johnson, who incredibly didn’t even come into the campaign as the Hawkeyes’ designated RB1. But Johnson seized control of that gig early, and has given the Hawkeyes an offensive identity. He runs hard, he has one-cut suddenness, and he boasts very good feet in general for a big back. Johnson’s 5.1 yards per carry after contact trails on Jeanty (6.03) in the FBS.