Rookie draft choice Jarquez Hunter provides the perfect cure for what ailed the Los Angeles Rams’ running back room in 2024
The Los Angeles Rams surprised some with their decision to invest in yet another running back in April’s NFL Draft. Former Auburn Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter will serve as the newest face in the Rams’ running back room — and while his selection caught some off guard, he has a chance to bring his […]
The Los Angeles Rams surprised some with their decision to invest in yet another running back in April’s NFL Draft. Former Auburn Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter will serve as the newest face in the Rams’ running back room — and while his selection caught some off guard, he has a chance to bring his much-needed flavor to Los Angeles’ rushing attack in the years ahead.
Upon inspection of both the tape and the numbers from the 2024 season, one thing that becomes apparent quite quickly is the lack of explosiveness in the Rams’ rushing attack this past season. The Rams’ single longest run from the regular season was a paltry 30 yards, and the team logged just 3 rushes of at least 20 yards.
That’s tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the worst mark in football in 2024. Only five teams in the last 20 years have logged less.
Teams with fewer 20+ yard rushes than the 2024 Rams since 2005:
- 2006 Arizona Cardinals: 0
- 2019 New York Jets: 2
- 2006 Cleveland Browns: 2
- 2005 Arizona Cardinals: 2
- 2021 Atlanta Falcons: 2
Their 37 rushes of 10 or more yards ranked 29th out of 32 teams for the 2024 season. The Rams were, clearly, missing explosiveness on the ground. Some of this is a byproduct of chance. But it’s hard to ignore the trend when the primary ball carrier, Kyren Williams, ran in the mid-4.6 range coming out of college.
Williams is many things. He is instinctual, tough, sufficient in the passing game, and effective in pass protection. But you aren’t likely to consider him “explosive”. And that’s where the Rams’ vision for Jarquez Hunter likely comes into play.
Hunter is most definitely explosive. And the resume of big runs while playing at Auburn is just what the doctor ordered to get the Rams back on track with chunk runs. Hunter finished the 2024 college season ranked 12th in the nation on 20+ yard runs, and his 27 rushes of 20+ yards since 2022 rank ninth among all rushers in college football over that time.
Even better? His five runs of 50 or more yards since 2022 rank tied for fifth in the nation. Hunter is a big-play creator who can run through tacklers or make them miss in space. Head coach Sean McVay referenced this big-play ability when discussing the team’s decision to draft Hunter.
“(Hunter) can hit home runs for you, too. When you give him a vertical seam, he's got the ability to run away from you. Some of the metrics that we have on him are really impressive…Les and his group had a real appreciation for him, and then once the coaches laid eyes on him, there was a collective buy-in,” said McVay in the immediate aftermath of the 2025 NFL Draft.
That home run-hitting ability got the Rams’ attention. Now he’ll be tabbed with earning the trust of his coaches to collect a slice of the pie from Williams in the backfield this summer. If he’s successful in that venture, Los Angeles should be a lot more explosive on the ground in 2025 than in 2024.
