The 2025 NFL draft is right around the corner, and teams have been busy fine-tuning their strategies to assess the fresh talents joining the league this year.
Daniel Jeremiah, a well-regarded NFL draft analyst, has recently rolled out his second mock draft for 2025. Interestingly, he’s forecasting that, for the first time since 2018, we could see more than two running backs being nabbed in the first round.
### Could We See Three Running Backs in the 2025 First Round?
In his latest 2025 NFL Draft prediction, @MoveTheSticks, Jeremiah’s Twitter handle, anticipates an unprecedented first-round rush on running backs—a rarity in recent years. Check out his full first-round predictions, spots 1 through 32, on Twitter.
The year 2024 marked a revival for running backs in the league. These players have always held key roles on the field, but the 2024 season truly spotlighted their essential contributions. Saquon Barkley from the Eagles racked up an impressive 2,005 rushing yards in just 16 games. Alongside him, Derrick Henry, James Cook, Bijan Robinson, and Jahmyr Gibbs also turned in standout performances. Thanks to this resurgence, Jeremiah is confident that we could see three running backs picked in the 2025 draft’s first round.
The last instance of three running backs going in the first round was back in 2018. That year, Saquon Barkley was the second overall pick by the New York Giants, while Rashaad Penny and Sony Michel were chosen 27th and 31st by Seattle and New England, respectively. Fast forward to 2024, and only one of those three was still playing in the NFL. Jeremiah now projects that Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, and TreVeyon Henderson will be among the first-round selections.
Ashton Jeanty made waves by finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2024. With a massive 344 carries for 2,601 yards, he led the nation, becoming a first-team All-American and securing the Mountain West Player of the Year award. Omarion Hampton led the ACC in rushing yards for two consecutive seasons (2023-2024), amassing 3,164 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns. As for TreVeyon Henderson, he’s fresh off a national championship win with Ohio State. Despite battling injuries, he remains a top prospect for 2025.
These running backs are stirring excitement and anticipation as we countdown to the draft, with many eyes eager to see if Jeremiah’s predictions come to fruition.
