Top 5 RBs in the 2025 NFL Draft: Can anyone challenge Ashton Jeanty to be the first running back drafted?
As we prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft, it's important to continue evaluating throughout the season as their performances will change how they are viewed. During the process, we at A to Z Sports ranked our top five prospects at each position and came up with a collective ranking. That collective ranking is one that […]
As we prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft, it's important to continue evaluating throughout the season as their performances will change how they are viewed.
During the process, we at A to Z Sports ranked our top five prospects at each position and came up with a collective ranking.
That collective ranking is one that is built like the AP and Coaches polls with weighted grades based on how highly they ranked. Our running back rankings had a unanimous top choice with some intriguing rankings underneath.
1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Highest Ranking: 1
Lowest Ranking: 1
Jeanty is one of the two best players in college football with Colorado's Travis Hunter being the other contender. His performances this sesaon have been off the charts great no matter the opponent that he is set to face. His game against Oregon was just as good as his game against Utah State.
Through seven games, Jeanty has been nothing short of elite. He has already surpassed his 12 game total from last season with 1,376 yards and 18 touchdownson at a remarkable 8.7 yards per carry and 6.42 yards after contact. He is nearly a guarantee to go in the first round this year with his season drawing comparisons to Barry Sanders.
2. Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 5
After two really good seasons at Ole Miss, Judkins took his talents up to Columbus to help create a super backfield for the Buckeyes. He hasn't quite been as productive as you'd like him to be, but he's getting significantly less touches. His last two years had him carry the ball 680 times. This year, he's carried it just 109 times over the first seven games.
Judkins has still found a way to be impactful. He is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and has forced 22 tackles. His ranking has some significant changes across the board and he finished just one point ahead of number three.
3. Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 5
It feels like we've been talking about Singleton for a decade but it's only been three years. He did breakout for the Nittany Lions as a true freshman with a whopping 6.8 yards per carry on 195 carries. His efficiency and explosiveness has paired really well with his running mate Kaytron Allen.
Singleton is the prototypical build for a bell cow running back but he won't have a ton of wear and tear potentially entering the league with just over 600 career carries. He's got the tools to be great at the next level.
4. Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 15
Johnson is the biggest riser in the running back rankings. He wasn't on most radars going into the season, but huge games against Iowa State, Minnesota and Washington has vaulted him into the conversation.
Johnson hasn't just been efficient, he's been explosive. He has 24 carries of 15+ yards this season and has broked a whopping 50 tackles, including 10 against the Golden Gophers where he had 10 of them. At 6', 225 lbs, Johnson has the size profile along with athleticism to thrive at the next level.
5. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Highest Ranking: 3
Lowest Ranking: 7
If you want to look at raw talent, Henderson is arguably number one on this list. His level of explosiveness isn't matched by anyone else in the class. One of the reasons he sits this low is the string of injuries he's suffered over the last few years. If he declared last year, Henderson might have been the first running back drafted.
Even with the injuries that Henderson has suffered in his career, Henderson still have explosivenenss that has him with 46 15+ yard runs across 574 carries. Plus, Henderson is an elite pass blocker, something that may get him drafted ahead of some other backs.
