- Ashton Jeanty can make waves in any scheme: The 2024 Heisman candidate excels in any scheme, having captured the highest PFF grade in this year’s class when running both outside-zone (96.1) and counter (94.2) concepts.
- RJ Harvey brings plenty of potential in the third round: The redshirt senior is an excellent slashing back who can make tacklers miss at an exceptional rate, which allowed him to capture the class’ top PFF grade on inside-zone concepts and in the red zone.
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Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
The 2025 NFL Draft season is well underway with the NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview. Every player brings a unique skill set to the table, in the hope of having their name called on the big stage. We’re breaking down the draft class’ best players in each and every facet, for every position, to get a more informed view of the NFL hopefuls.
These are PFF’s highest-graded running back 2025 NFL Draft prospects in each key grading facet.
Inside-Zone PFF Grade: RJ Harvey, UCF (89.5)
A missed-tackle monster with excellent vision to read zone blocking and slash through gaps, Harvey is a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands. This past season, the UCF standout racked up more than 1,000 yards on zone concepts (7.2 yards per carry) — 300-plus yards more than the next leading rusher in the Power Four — a credit to his FBS-leading 36 rushes of 10 or more yards, which doubles the next highest rusher.
Outside-Zone PFF Grade: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (96.1)
The Heisman Trophy candidate out of Boise State is prolific in numerous facets, but perhaps none more so than his ability to gash defenses with stretch-zone runs. Jeanty clocked an astronomical PFF grade on outside-zone concepts this past season, landing more than 10 points on the grading scale above the next-highest-graded back in college football. The junior generated 8.2 yards per carry, with 6.9 coming after first contact — both FBS-leading marks among running backs with at least 75 outside-zone runs.
Man/Gap PFF Grade: Damien Martinez, Miami (FL) (92.0)
With legitimate NFL size, a bruising mentality and solid long speed, Martinez is a force behind gap-blocking schemes. His 93.3 PFF grade when running gap concepts across the past three seasons ranked first among all FBS running backs. He recorded 6.4 yards per carry and clocked 25 rushes of 10 or more yards on those plays.
PFF Grade on Power Concepts: Marcus Yarns, Delaware (85.6)
Despite his slender frame, Yarns was a menace running behind a puller in his final season at Delaware, making great use of his vision and quick footwork to navigate gap- and power-blocking schemes. Although he clocked just 19 carries on power runs, the FCS standout generated 9.6 yards per carry, a top-five mark among running backs with at least 15 carries out of power.
PFF Grade on Counter Concepts: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State (94.2)
Jeanty is a premier running back prospect who can win in any blocking scheme, so it’s no surprise that he appears on this list for multiple concepts. Like on outside zone runs, Jeanty also paced college football in PFF grade on counter plays, racking up 8.4 yards after contact per attempt on his way to notching 10.0 yards per carry. He forced 0.55 missed tackles per attempt on those runs, the most in the nation by a running back with at least 20 counter runs.
PFF Grade on Pull-Lead Concepts: Kaleb Johnson, Iowa (86.7)
When Johnson, a physically gifted back with true NFL size, gets a full head of steam on the edge with a lead blocker in front of him, look out. The Iowa standout deploys great vision and contact balance, which shows up well running behind pull-lead concepts, allowing him to amass 11.9 yards per carry in 2024 — the best average of any Power Four running back with at least 10 carries.
PFF Grade on Late Downs with 4 Yards or Fewer to Go: Dylan Sampson, Tennessee (91.8)
Although he lacks the size of some other backs in the 2025 NFL Draft class, Sampson was extremely effective in crucial situations on late downs with 4 or fewer yards needed to convert. Powered by great vision and patience, Sampson managed to convert on 82.8% of his carries in these situations, notching 24 first downs or touchdowns on 29 attempts.
Goal-to-Go PFF Rushing Grade: Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State (86.0)
As half of Ohio State’s two-headed backfield, Judkins is a strong north-south runner who converts speed to power in an instant. That skill set him up to feature as the Buckeyes' featured back in goal-to-go situations, and the junior punched in 11 scores on just 17 carries. That 64.7% conversion clip ranked second in the FBS last season.
Overall Red-Zone PFF Grade: RJ Harvey, UCF (91.3)
When the field got condensed, UCF called on Harvey frequently to cash in, largely because of his ability to make defenders miss at a high rate. He notched 15 forced missed tackles in the red zone in 2024. The redshirt senior saw 43 touches inside of the 20-yard line in 2024, managing to come away with a touchdown on 20 of them.
PFF Receiving Grade: Brashard Smith, SMU (90.8)
Smith, a receiver-turned-running back after transferring from Miami, unsurprisingly tops the charts as the class’ top receiving back. With quick feet and polished route-running skills, the senior finished 2024 as the only FBS running back to eclipse a 90.0-plus PFF receiving grade, highlighted by 7.6 yards after the catch per reception and a 118.6 passer rating generated when targeted.
PFF Pass-Blocking Grade: LeQuint Allen, Syracuse (80.7)
While Allen may lack the agility needed to profile as a significant contributor on early downs, he maintains a solid floor as a third-down back, given his receiving chops and willingness to mix it up in pass protection. Allen notched the most pass-blocking snaps (130) in the 2025 class while earning a perfect 100.0 pass-blocking efficiency rating after surrendering no sacks and just a single pressure across the 2024 season.
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