Opinions vary widely on the best backs of the 2025 class, and what the Cowboys are looking for adds another element.
The Dallas Cowboys have talked the talk about wanting to run the football every offseason since hiring Mike McCarthy as their head coach. And every year they leave their quarterback Dak Prescott to throw for 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns, or get injured trying to. In 2023, Dallas took a defensive lineman in the first round of the draft and didn’t take a running back until the sixth, where they selected feel-good story Deuce Vaughn. Last year, they didn’t even draft one, leaving undrafted free agent Rico Dowdle to be the primary back with past their prime veterans Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook to rotate in for touches.
This offseason, head coach Brian Shottenheimer has built a coaching staff that focused on improving the rushing attack. Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams was the offensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals last year when they had a resurgence in their offensive line and running game. Kansas State offensive coordinator Conor Riley came to the Cowboys to be their offensive line coach after their offense averaged 215.5 rushing yards a game and six yards per attempt. They drafted two offensive linemen in the last draft and traded for receiver Jonathan Mingo, a larger wide receiver who blocks well. The pieces are in place, and the running back draft class is loaded with talent. Dallas could wait and get a solid back later or try to get a significant impactful back early on, and one of these five might be the pick.
5. RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Height: 6-foot, Weight: 225 RAS: N/A
Kaleb Johnson is an old-school, north and south power back with possibly the best vision in the class. He has excellent balance through contact and always picks the correct path to maximize yardage. He has plays where he looks like Derrick Henry running over tacklers, like a screen pass against the Nebraska Cornhuskers where Johnson broke five tackles for a 72-yard touchdown. He isn’t a speed back, but he was second in the NCAA with 861 breakaway yards and fourth in yards after contact. The 2024 consensus All-American doesn’t offer much in the passing game, but he can be trusted to carry the ball 25 times a game and be productive while not giving the ball away. He had no fumbles on his 262 touches last year. Many consider Johnson the second-best back in the draft class.
4. RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
Height: 5-foot-11, Weight: 221, RAS: 9.9
Quinshon Judkins has no holes in his game. In 2022, when he was the only back at Ole Miss, Judkins was as dynamic as any other top rusher in this draft. He had over 1,500 yards, rushing for almost six yards per attempt, and scored 16 touchdowns. He transferred to Ohio State for the next two seasons, shared a backfield with TreVeyon Henderson without any issues, and they won a National Championship in 2024. Judkins has excellent size for the position but has the shiftiness of an undersized rusher. He is 5-foot-11 and 221 pounds, but he has an unbelievable RAS of 9.9. He stays balanced through contact but can also make a defender miss to break a long run. The 2024 running back class is so stacked that a Day 2 selection like Judkins is a three-down lead back who, can run successfully in any system, is willing to work in a committee, can catch the ball or pass protect on passing plays and will be fresh because he had less than 200 attempts last season. Considering what Shottenheimer says he likes in his running backs, Judkins could be a possibility for Dallas with pick No. 44.
3. RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
Height: 5-foot-11, Weight: 221, RAS: 9.7
In 2023, Bijan Robinson was seen as the generational back of the class, the way Jeanty is this year, but Jahmyr Gibbs was drafted early in the first as well and has been an excellent contributor to the Detroit Lions. Omarion Hampton could be the Gibbs of this draft class. He is the most well-built back in the draft in terms of size and athleticism. He can control a game as an inside power runner and is an excellent zone scheme rusher. His 88.6 PFF zone rush grade is top-notch. Hampton has the burst to take any run to the house, so giving him 20 attempts can wear down the opposing team, and he can hit a game-breaking play at any time to put a contest away. Hampton has improved every season in college, and if he gets more consistent at seeing the correct lane and attacking it, he could change a team offensively by himself.
2. RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Height: 5-foot-10, Weight: 202 RAS: 8.87
The consensus of the draft community is that Omarion Hampton is the second-best running back in the class, but a split backfield with Quinshon Judkins might have skewed the view of Henderson for some. Like Jeanty, Henderson is a breakaway threat whenever he touches the football. It took only 145 rushes for him to eclipse 1,000 yards, the least amount for any rusher in 2024. Henderson is a triple threat in the backfield. He can run as well as anyone, catches the ball out of the backfield at a tremendous level, and is a ferocious pass protector. He is the only back this season to have 1,000 yards rushing, 250 yards receiving, and an average of seven yards per attempt. He will be reliable as a rookie for whoever drafts him. In over 650 college rushing attempts, he has only fumbled the ball once. Henderson could end up being the best back from this draft class the way Henry was over Ezekiel Elliott and Nick Chubb was over Saquon Barkley for most of their careers.
1. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Height: 5-foot-8, Weight: 211 RAS: N/A
Ashton Jeanty had one of the best college seasons in NCAA history in 2024. After winning MWC Player of the Year in 2023, he did it again but took it to another level. He had 1,512 yards after contact, more than anybody else had in total rushing yards. Jeanty’s 2,601 yards rushing was second to only Barry Sanders in 1988. He was the Doak Walker (Most Outstanding RB) and Maxwell (Player of the Year) award winner and a unanimous consensus All-American. He can take any touch to the house because he breaks tackles at an incredible level, scoring 29 rushing touchdowns with eight being for 60 yards or more. Jeanty isn’t just a runner, he can catch the ball out of the backfield, too. In 2023, he had over 150 fewer handoffs and caught 43 passes for nearly 600 yards and five touchdowns instead. It takes a rare running back to be drafted in the top 10 in the modern NFL, and Jeanty is easily in that group.
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