NFL Draft RB Rankings & Tiers: Top 2025 Prospects For Fantasy Football

NFL Draft RB Rankings 2025 Fantasy Football Prospects

Published: Mar 23, 2025

Updated: Mar 23, 2025

Running backs might not be as highly valued in real-life drafts as they used to be, but they are still very important in fantasy football. And the 2025 running back class might be the most exciting we have seen since the class of 2017 that featured names like Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, and Leonard Fournette.

Leading the pack for the 2025 class is Ashton Jeanty from Boise State, who has already proven he can handle a lot of work. Jeanty is at the top of the list, but there are other strong candidates too, such as Omarion Hampton from UNC and TreVeyon Henderson from Ohio State, who could make an impact in fantasy right from the start.

As always, how much they play and where they end up will greatly affect their value as RBs can have a short shelf life in the NFL. Some of these running backs could be great picks in the early rounds of fantasy drafts if they find the right team, while others might fit better in shared roles. Let’s take a closer look at the best running back prospects for 2025 and see how they could perform in fantasy football.

2025 NFL Draft RB Prospects & Rankings

Tier	School	Name	Pos	Type	40	Height	Weight	Notes
1	Boise State	Ashton Jeanty	RB	3 Down	NA	5'8"	211	One of the best RB prospects in recent memory. Plus hands on top of tremendous rushing production. Could go top 10 in the NFL Draft which only six backs have done over the last decade. Should be 1.01 in all formats, even superflex.
2	UNC	Omarion Hampton	RB	3 Down	4.46	6'0"	221	Quickly becoming the clear RB2 in this class and possibly the 1.02, Hampton offers a rare combo of size and speed at 221 pounds. He also flashed decent hands with 73 receptions in college. Some want to pigeon-hole him as an early down grinder at his size but he can be an every down back. Landing spot could hurt that if he lands with a team that has a pass-catching back or two back system in place like the Chicago Bears.
2	Ohio State	TreVeyon Henderson	RB	Pass	4.43	5'10"	202	Broke out as true freshman at Ohio State. Injuries and competition limited usage. Plus hands and pass protection. The are questions about whether he can hold up as an every down back running up the middle but some analysts (like Lance Zierlein) believe he CAN be an every down player. Perfect landing spot would be the Broncos with Joe Lombardi.
3	Iowa	Kaleb Johnson	RB	Run	4.57	6'1"	224	It's hard to tell whether Johnson's reception totals were low due to lack of ability of the fact that Iowa just does not throw the ball much. His size at 6'1" 224 automatically steers him towards an early down role. He didn't break out until his third season as a junior but had massive production. Good vision for zone scheme.
3	Ohio State	Quinshon Judkins	RB	Run	4.48	6'0"	220	Another big back in this class with some speed (4.48 40). He transferred from Mississippi to Ohio State for his 3rd and final year where he split with TreVeyon Henderson. There are questions about his pass-catching prowess and not just because Henderson took that work - he maxed out at 22 receptions regardless of team or competition. Could still be used as every down back in right scheme.
4	Arizona State	Cam Skattebo	RB	3 Down	NA	5'9"	219	Solid production profile both rushing and receiving. The two big knocks on him are his age and lack of speed. He'll be 23 years old by the time the NFL Draft kicks off. Guys like that can lose value very quickly in dynasty if they don't produce right away. His heroic performance in the NCAA playoff could boost his draft stock.
4	Virginia Tech	Bhayshul Tuten	RB	3 Down	4.32	5'9"	206	The speed obviously stands out but Tuten also produced well in his four years of college with a 16% target share in one season. That said, he did not face strong opponents at North Carolina A&T and Virginia Tech. Draft capital can become a more muddied data point for guys like this if one team falls in love with his speed. Many backs with his profile have failed to be able to pass block at the NFL level leading to them falling out of favor.
4	Tennessee	Dylan Sampson	RB	Run	4.51	5'8"	200	Film grinders love Sampson while those that skew towards analytics are more cautious. He does look explosive on the tape but he did not run at the combine. He's undersized and maxed out at 20 receptions in college leaving question marks as to what his role would be in an NFL RB room. For guys like this, draft capital becomes an incredibly important piece of the puzzle.
4	Kansas State	DJ Giddens	RB	3 Down	4.43	6'0"	212	Giddens is one of the most well-rounded prospects. He had back-to-back seasons of 1,200+ rushing yards in his last two years of school along with 50 total catches. He's got decent size and performed well at the combine though he's a little lean for his height. A team might want him to bulk up before giving him a meaningful role on offense.
5	Kansas	Devin Neal	RB	3 Down	4.58	5'11"	213	The slow 40 time is disappointing for an otherwise solid profile. Great production both on the ground and in the pass game. PFF grades him as a plus pass protector. Might end up as a depth piece at the next level.
5	Oklahoma State	Ollie Gordon	RB	Run	4.61	6'1"	226	His size obviously stands out at 6'1" 226 pounds. That could see him land in a committee with a complimentary pass-catching back. And, with his lack of high end speed, that could cap his ceiling. There are a lot of big backs in this class that are facing a similar conundrum which makes the draft so crucial to this tier. RBs have short shelf lives and rookie contracts are four years so landing spot matters more for this position. There are also characters concerns with Gordon following a fairly public DUI during college.
5	Central Florida	RJ Harvey	RB	3 Down	4.4	5'8"	205	Harvey started his career as a quarterback and then converted to running back. That journey led him to be an older prospect where he's already 24. He did have a great combine which could help his draft stock but, as we've mentioned elsewhere, the value for older prospects can plummet quickly if they don't produce early.
5	Georgia	Trevor Etienne	RB	Pass	4.42	5'9"	198	Being the younger brother to a current NFL back never hurts when it comes to draft capital. What might hurt Trevor Etienne is that he's never been a full-time back - not at Florida nor at Georgia. What he does well is operate on pass downs which should hopefully get his foot in the door to a role. Then he might be able to prove he deserves more work the way a guy like Austin Ekeler did.
5	South Carolina	Raheim Sanders	RB	3 Down	4.52	6'0"	217	Raheim "Rocket" Sanders has pretty good speed for his size. He dealt with nagging injuries through most of his college career but was still able to put up decent production. Like many backs in this deep class, the draft could shake up how we view this group with Sanders having the potential to "rocket" up our rankings if scouts fall in love with him.
6	Miami	Damien Martinez	RB	Run	4.51	6'0"	217	In a class full of good pass-catching backs, Martinez is more of your prototypical bruiser back. He's got a good size/speed combination but somehow only caught 32 passes in his college career despite racking up over 500 carries. Guys like this need to land in a good offense where touchdowns are available as backs that don't catch passes on bad teams can be brutal in fantasy football.
6	SMU	Brashard Smith	RB	Pass	4.39	5'10"	194	Brashard Smith is the classic wide receiver converted to running back. Guys like Antonio Gibson and Tyrone Tracy have peaked our interest with that profile in the past. He has tremendous speed but might not have the size to be an every down back. But it's always fun to look at his solid production and say, "And he hasn't even been playing running back very long".
6	Auburn	Jarquez Hunter	RB	Run	4.44	5'9"	204	Jarquez Hunter wasn't necessarily prolific in his production. But he was fairly explosive based on most metrics and it's clearly evident on the tape. He's the kind of player that makes one cut then goes downhill in an attempt to pick up a big chunk. Not much of a pass-catcher so could be a committee back.
6	Syracuse	LeQuint Allen	RB	Pass	NA	6'0"	204	Allen was great on pass downs and even had a season with 64 receptions. He did tally back to back 1,000 yard rushing seasons but wasn't as efficient or elusive as you would like to see against ACC competition. He could just end up being a pass-down back at the next level but that's a concern for a lot of these guys.
6	Oregon	Jordan James	RB	Run	4.55	5'8"	205	James was stuck behind Bucky Irving at Oregon so really was only able to shine in 2024. He didn't offer much as a pass-catcher in the main role and doesn't necessarily have a size to operate as a bruiser back for an NFL team. He might just end up being depth but there's always some mystery and intrigue to these guys who were stuck behind NFL-caliber backs. Given how good Bucky Irving looks with Tampa Bay, it's hard to blame Oregon.
6	Michigan	Donovan Edwards	RB	Run	4.44	5'11"	205	Analysts are split on Edwards, which often happens with backs from high profile programs. He never quite captured the full backfield but teams like Michigan are loaded with talent like Blake Corum. His violent running style was on display in 2024 but he did lose pass work in his final season to Kalel Mullings. In a class with a lot of bigger backs, he has a big back playstyle while not really being that big.