The NFL Draft Combine starts next week. We are officially in the thick of the draft season. Today, we will break down three ideal landing spots for two of the top running backs entering the NFL Draft. This is the start of a series where we will dive deeper into the running back class.
Ashton Jeanty
Overview
Jeanty is THE top prospect entering the 2025 NFL Draft at the running back position. His 2024 season was historic, as he finished with 2,287 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt. He also finished the season with 124 avoided tackles and a 97.2 PFF rush grade, which is higher than Jonathan Taylor’s 2019 season at Wisconsin (90.7), Derrick Henry’s 2015 season at Alabama (83.8), and Saquon Barkley’s 2016 season at Penn State (79.4). Jeanty is a dynamic prospect who will make an immediate, positive impact on the team that drafts him.
Ideal Landing Spots
My top three landing spots for Jeanty include the Jaguars, Patriots, and Raiders. You could slide any team here, and Jeanty would make it work. I have these three because of where they draft in the first round and where their current running back room stands. The only reason why Dallas didn’t make this list is because I think Jeanty will be off the board when they are up at 12th.
Jaguars: Jacksonville has the fifth and seventh overall picks. They have needs at cornerback, safety, and interior offensive line, but they need to bolster their running back room to help Trevor Lawrence and company. Travis Etienne took a huge step back last season, averaging 3.7 yards per attempt. Tank Bigsby was somewhat of a bright spot, but he isn’t the long-term answer for this team either. Jeanty would easily come in and take over the reins right away. This team needs to make a splash to be competitive in a loaded AFC.
Patriots: New England currently has the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft. Although they have major needs on the offensive line, at wide receiver, and on the edge, Jeanty would make life so much easier for Drake Maye. This move could help speed up the development of Maye for this franchise. Currently, the Patriots have a lackluster one-two punch in Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. They are both under contract for the next couple of years and have proven they aren’t long-term RB1s. Stevenson averaged 3.9 yards per attempt last season and surrendered SEVEN fumbles, while Gibson coughed up two fumbles of his own to make it 14 in five seasons.
Raiders: Here’s a team that needs help at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. It makes sense for Las Vegas to draft Jeanty because there is a scenario where Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, and Tetairoa McMillan come off the board before the Raiders pick at number 6. Las Vegas has shown that they like to take the approach of “best player available.” Look at last season; they chose to draft Brock Bowers even though they had selected Michael Mayer in the second round of the season prior. Jeanty would immediately help bolster this team’s rushing attack, as they finished last in the league with 1,357 rushing yards combined for the entire season.
Omarion Hampton
Overview
There’s a lot of controversy regarding who we all think is the second-best running back this draft season. Kaleb Johnson and TreVeyon Henderson make great cases to fit that mold, but I’m going to go with Hampton here. The North Carolina product put together a tremendous 2024 season, rushing for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt. He also finished the season with 72 avoided tackles and a 90.5 PFF rush grade. Many in the dynasty football realm are comparing him to Leonard Fournette. In 2015, Fournette put together a dominant campaign for the LSU Tigers. He rushed for 1,752 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. He also avoided 78 tackles and finished with a 90.7 PFF rush grade. Expect Hampton to come into the league and serve as a team’s lead-back right away.
Ideal Landing Spots
My top three landing spots for Hampton include the Steelers, Chargers, and Browns. Hampton is expected to go in the late first round/early second round. You could have thrown in the Raiders here as well, but they clearly won’t draft Hampton at sixth overall, and I think there’s a great chance that he will come off the board before the Raiders pick again at 37th.
Steelers: Pittsburgh has the 21st pick in the first round of this year’s draft. There are a ton of rumors surrounding the quarterback and wide receiver positions. Will this team go forward with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields? Is George Pickens on the trade block? Should the Steelers draft a receiver in the first round? Needless to say, there isn’t enough chatter about Najee Harris at this point. He is arguably the top free-agent running back in a weak free-agency class. If he decides to depart, it makes a ton of sense for Arthur Smith to convince this franchise to bring in Hampton to replace Harris as the lead-back right away.
Chargers: Greg Roman desperately wanted to lean on the running game in 2024. At times, it worked out with a healthy J.K. Dobbins. But the addition of Gus Edwards was a nightmare, as he was inefficient (career-low 3.6 yards per attempt) and battled injuries all season (missed seven games). Dobbins battled injuries, as he missed four games, bringing his total number of games missed to 47 in five seasons. Hampton brings durability, power, and speed for an offense that relies heavily on the run. The Chargers currently hold the 22nd pick in the first round, which is an ideal spot for Hampton to go. Even if the team still believes in Dobbins, Hampton could come in and split time with the veteran, who can’t be relied on as a three-down back at this point in his career.
Browns: Hampton going to Cleveland makes a ton of sense for a few reasons. First, it seems like it is finally time for the Browns to move on from Nick Chubb. He’s now a free agent, and he isn’t close to the same player he was before his gruesome injury. Jerome Ford is still on the team, but he projects as a decent RB2 at this point of his career. Second, Cleveland finished 29th in total rushing yards as a team last season (1,608). Hampton would be a great piece to bring in to help bolster their running game. Third, the Browns currently hold the first pick in the second round (33rd overall). This is a good projected spot for Hampton to go.
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