Bengals' lack of running back depth should lead them to drafting a fellow Tiger with a knack for explosive plays
The effectiveness of a team's running game involves more than just the running back, but it certainly doesn't hurt having multiple quality options to carry the rock throughout a game. This was a problem for most of the 2024 season for the Cincinnati Bengals. Chase Brown proved to be a quality starter once he emerged as […]
The effectiveness of a team's running game involves more than just the running back, but it certainly doesn't hurt having multiple quality options to carry the rock throughout a game. This was a problem for most of the 2024 season for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chase Brown proved to be a quality starter once he emerged as the superior option over Zack Moss. A season-ending injury for Moss locked Brown in as the lead back for the second half of the year, and while Brown ripped off respectable outings, Cincinnati doesn't want to have Brown shoulder the entire workload like he did from Weeks 9-17 in which he accounted for 95% of the offense's rushing attempts.
The task in front of the Bengals is not very complicated. Brown is good enough to be the feature back going forward, but he needs worthwhile depth behind him. Moss isn't long to stay on the team and Khalil Herbert, whom the team traded their seventh-round pick for during the season, can definitely be upgraded for RB2 duties.
That RB2 may just be found on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft much like Brown was back in 2023. Our next unheralded draft prospect we're highlighting could be the missing piece in Cincinnati's backfield.
Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter has the skillset to be Chase Brown's backfield partner
Class 5A Mississippi Mr. Football of 2020 was allowed to cross over the eastern border when Hunter committed to Auburn as a three-star recruit. Hunter was immediately RB2 behind future Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick Tank Bigbsy as a freshman in 2021 and put together arguably a more effective season from a statistical standpoint, besting his sophomore counterpart in yards per attempt (6.7 to 4.9) and yards after contact per attempt (3.64 to 3.13).
Hunter didn't become the lead back for the Tigers until 2023 when he knocked on the door of 1,000 yards with 911. He broke the door down in 2024 with 1,201 along with another career-high with eight touchdowns. 278 yards and two touchdowns came against Kentucky in what was the fourth-best rushing performance in program history and the most yardage an FBS back had all year. He earned All-SEC First Team honors from the league's coaches and media members alike for his final and most productive season at Auburn.
In what appears to be a stacked running back class, Hunter finds himself almost exactly in the middle of the pack. As of this posting, his consensus board ranking (shoutout the homie @nangleberger on X/Twitter) puts him at No. 168 in this class with some outlets ranking him near the range of an early Day 3 selection.
Numbers to know for Jarquez Hunter
Senior Bowl Measurements:
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 212
Arm: 30.25"
Hand: 9.375"
Hunter is built very similarly to the 5'10" and 210-pound running back the Bengals already have on the roster in Brown. Hunter's arms and hands are a tad smaller in comparison, which could've been a factor toward the seven fumbles he had during his time at Auburn. When the ball stayed in his hands, he made the most of it.
3.96 yards after contact per carry average on 539 career carries: Hunter does not go down easily upon first contact. Every year at Auburn he got better and better at generating yards beyond expectation. His 3.64 average as a freshman increased to 3.83 as a sophomore, 4.06 as a junior, and finally 4.1 as a senior for a career average of just under 4. For reference, Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo's career average was 3.95. Per Gridiron Grading, Hunter was one of four FBS backs in this class to average 0.3 missed tackles per attempt with an explosive run percentage of 18% or greater. Making guys miss and breaking off long runs was Hunter's bread and butter.
Jarquez Hunter film spark notes
Oh look, forced missed tackles and long runs. What a revelation! Hunter was a big play waiting to happen against talented defenses. He didn't get too many chances to catch the ball out of the backfield, but there's potential for that area of his game to expand as well.
The Zac Taylor Bengals have yet to draft a running back before the fifth round. The expectation is they'll continue scouring the late rounds to fill out that room to find the next Brown, and help for him in the meantime. Hunter looks like an ideal candidate to lighten Brown's load for the next two years and potentially take over should Brown leave in free agency. If there's any position where turnover is not the end of the world, it's this one.
Before the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, we'll go over one sleeper player at each position of need for the Bengals. Read up on Kansas OT Logan Brown, Oregon NT Jamaree Caldwell, Texas Tech TE Jalin Conyers, Boise State DE Ahmed Hassanein, and check back to A to Z Sports Cincinnati this week for the latest installments.
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