Ollie Gordon, Quinshon Judkins, & More | Preseason Rankings of the Top 2025 NFL Draft RBs

Intro hello and welcome to the two-minute drill podcast I'm Michael Rockman that's Bailey Kumar and we are moving on from quarterbacks now on to the running back position before we get started on any of the loaded Ball Carrier class Bailey how you doing no I'm doing great uh it's been a while since I've been on here so I'm excited to get back to it yeah unfortunately Jack Donovan was only here for the quarterbacks He he'll be on some of the other position videos but not going to be the consistent repeating host hopefully that me we'll see I don't know Bailey May kick me out of the crew we'll see what happens but you know this is an exciting running back class and I think it's something that people are kind of looking forward to after what was a little bit of a let down class last season last draft class overall and now this year there are a lot of hyped up names as we enter into the college football season some will stand the test of time and remain as a top coveted Prospect while some maybe fall down the draft boards but Bailey what are your expectations for this class as a whole as we enter 2024 I I'm I mean my expectations are pretty high when I'm kind of going through these guys and Grading them I have a lot of high grades on these guys and a lot of guys I'm excited for and waiting to break out and you know I feel like with brain backs is one of those positions where there's always breakout guys people you've never heard of who are just suddenly flying up draft boards and when I kind of compare this class to last year's class I have like multiple guys ahead of who's there everyone last year like jonan Brooks I have a lot of guys ahead of him so uh I'm very excited for this class um and yeah let's get to it yeah and you know before we even dive into the running backs themselves the NFL approach I think is interesting because these younger backs are usually hitting the field right away maybe those first couple weeks it's a slow integration into the offense but some of these guys are immediately finding ways to contribute and become stars in the NFL we saw guys like bejon Robinson and jir Gibbs have great rookie campaigns this past season in the NFL you know do you think that with the with the constant changing pieces that we saw this offseason in free agency that these Rook are going to be more and more like building blocks for teams that are looking to kind of take that next step as an NFL offense yeah for sure I mean I think it really comes down to uh the rookie contract in this case and how cheap they're getting this guys and running back seems to be the position where there's the like the smallest difference between the college and the actual end fall game so a lot of these guys can hit the ground running no pun intended but you know kind of get off to really good starts here and pick up the offense quick and you know contribute their rookie years and I see a lot of guys on this list who I wouldn't be surprised take over a backfield split a backfield in 2025 yeah so with quarterbacks me and Ja we went by conference and we went in order of school name for this me and Bailey ranked the consensus top 10 guys we averaged that our ranking so you know someone who maybe has two ninth places is going to be the first one we discuss at number 10 and we'll go all the way up to number one and what is again a loaded running back class so number 10 right now is still someone to be very excited about so without further Ado we're going to get started and number 10 is Jaden KN running back out of California Bailey why don't you start with your thoughts first yeah I mean the first thing that jumps out right when you watch this guys is is home run ability you know you put the ball in this guy's hand and just watch him go you know he has that speed agility and quickness combination that you love to see from your running back with the big play potential um I didn't really love his third on ability and I think this is B biggest going to be his biggest drawback and with teams when you have these kind of smaller quicker guys that are home run ability usually you want them to get the ball in their hands and like as a pass Catcher And you can create some plays off screens in that way and I really think a was lacking in that ability also didn't think he was the greatest pass protector um and you know he wasn't really that great inside I'm a bit worried about him between the tackles just because of his his size and his strength so kind of I kind of had him ranked low here but I definitely think that you know this is still a pretty good running back he's definitely carve out a rle on a team just with his speed and Home Run ability but it's somebody that I'm a little bit lower on yeah 61 210 pounds I really like his patience I think he's someone that's kind of waiting at the offensive line letting those holes develop at a school like California I don't know if that's necessarily the best approach compared to some of the other defenses that they'll go against so he's a little bit hot and cold from the game to game perspective but I think as he goes to the NFL and the trench play starts to level out I think that type of play style will reward him more often often and get a more consistent production but I mean even still he's a dominant producer, 1300 yards last season and even 897 yards the year before 20 touchdowns over his past two years and it combined over 60 catches in his past two years so this is a guy that really kind of checks a lot of boxes in terms of the production you're looking for out of the running back position I agree with you that I'm not necessarily there in terms of the play strength and overall ability to produce downfield as a catcher but I do think part of that comes in fact with just what Golden Bears had offensively surrounding him I didn't love the overall passing game last year and I do think Mendoza or Rogers whoever's starting can potentially take that step forward for the offense but I think a is going to be the feature for what this team can produce and so far it's turned out pretty well the Golden Bears are a team that I think is always going to be run heavy with a in the back field and he's shown that he's capable of taking that load and managing it to where he can you know produce a great outing every Saturday so he's someone that I'm excited about I love the long speed I think the short area burst is where I'm a little bit different from you I didn't see it as much I saw the long speed but I think with the patience there were times where he was maybe waiting a little bit too long and finding himself getting hauled up in the back field maybe that was just because he was waiting so much more so than the actual athleticism himself but uh I do think there's something in that regard where I want to see him you know just kind of grind out some yards here and there more so than try to wait for the big play to open up because sometimes you got to settle for those three to four yard pickups yeah I mean absolutely and 's Productions not in question here you know he's a every son you know know like said he's a great producer in the back field but I think also what you said C's kind of offense doesn't suit him well because you know as we said we didn't like love him in between the tackles but that's where a lot of his you know big plays happen he trying to kind of squirts through the middle and runs up field and out runs the linebackers and the safeties and you know you kind of want to see him in a maybe in a different offense in the NFL would kind of enhance his uh abilities or make the most of his abilities in here so this might be a guy who we see be a better NFL player than a college player and he was you know he's a great college player but just in a different offense we might be able to see him uh produce more yeah so we both had him ranked ninth so he was neither of our lowest ranked back from this top 10 that we have going on but someone who was my 10th ranked running back and you're six rank running back Donovan Edwards out of Michigan Donovan Edwards since you're a little bit higher on him I'll let you give your first thoughts yeah and I think with Edwards I kind of just put him at six because we haven't really seen him for better for worse um obviously very limited with his opportunities with korm there uh his biggest thing that know when you watch Edwards the biggest thing I saw was just you know he just a little bit too slow and he has this ability to chunk all these huge plays but then something happens like he you know just gets caught from behind or maybe he just you know lacks a stamina or something which may be a concern with the Bell Cali ability but he just gets caught and this is kind of evident in other plac too like I I don't know how to explain it but it's just like he's a he's a has the ability to create these big plays I think he has like really he's not doesn't have the greatest Vision which I also kind of thought was a negative of of him um he's more of an anticipatory Runner where he knows where the hole is going to be so he kind of hits it I don't really love his vision in between the tackles but he's has the ability to turn like what should be a one or two yard gain into these 10 20 yard gains but he doesn't have the ability to turn those 10 or 20 yard gains into the 50 or 60 yard gains that you kind of want your running backs that kind of big playability but he does have the ability to constantly chunk out these uh these big uh chunk out yards for an offense and you know he he's a powerful back you know he's kind of he's Stout um he's a good P pass catcher too I would like to see him with a bit more of an expanded role this year and I think he will have that role with cor dun maybe we'll finally see that you know bcow um with the as the bcow from Michigan get all those opportunities and see what he can do with 20 touches a game yeah I'm excited to see what he does with the full workload obviously 2023 was a little bit of a let down season for Edwards a lot of people were kind of thinking with coron coming off of injury that he would be taking more of a 50-50 split but the production just wasn't there he was nine yards short of a th yards in 2022 really came up short of 500 yards in 2023 on not even even like that much of a drop off is 21 less carry so definitely a disappointing campaign for what the expectation is that doesn't mean that Edwards is necessarily written off people are still excited about him especially with how he was able to end that season with some great outings I like I like long speed I thought that he had some explosive plays I do think that the stamina and issues in that regard is going to be a big question mark for just converting on those long plays and turning them into touchdowns rather than the you know 10 20 yard carries but I I think he's a guy that has the speed and the nimbleness it's just about can he continue to put the work into the trenches because that was corum's Role last year and he was able to kind of grind out the ugly carries and the crowded boxes to get the production for Michigan and kind of keep them effective and on the field and establishing new first downs resets on drives and now that's going to be over to Edwards and obviously there's other backs in this offense that are going to be able to get those opportunities Mullen is someone that is obviously gonna have that opportunity but Edwards is GNA have to take the bulk of these carries and I think now he's got to show as a six to 200 pound Runner he's a little light can he continue to work through the boxes work between the tackles and find yardage at an effective rate while continuing to provide those Splash plays and that's kind of where the question is with Edward to me and right now I didn't see it in 2023 and that's what I based my evaluation off of I didn't want to go back to 2022 too much I looked at it just a bit just to kind of see how much I felt was different but um overall him being 10 for me isn't necessarily me saying oh I think Edward stinks or anything it's just these are a very good this is a very good batch of 10 Runners that all all have a lot of redeeming traits so I'm excited about Edwards I'm excited for Michigan I don't think they're going to drop off as much as people think um there's going to be a lot of exciting play and a lot of it's going to have to do with Donovan Edwards in the backfield moving on to number eight and that is not Travis etn but Trevor etn transferring over to Georgia from Florida University I had him as my seventh ranked back and you had him as the eighth ranked back he's actually tied with whoever we'll talk about next but let's let's keep it here on etn a guy that you know I think he has some nice explosiveness I think the agility and nimbleness is very evident and he's got a nice Stout frame uh 59 I think 215 pounds a guy that was splitting the Back Field at Florida so there is kind of the question mark of how is he going to be able to do with his own back field with his own uh you know sort of split carries obviously with Branson Robinson but he's going to be the lead veteran back in that offense Carson back's going to be there so that's going to help kind of open up passing game give him some lighter boxes but you know overall I I really like dtn I thought he had some really nice games especially against Tennessee where he was just lighting up the volunteers defense he showed some power he showed some ability to work outside I think that well-roundedness kind of offers him a nice floor to where I'm comfortable that he's going to be a contributing back it's just the question of how high is his ceiling and that that's where I think the the big hold up is for me it's just I'm not sure if he's going to necessarily take that next St to he's viewed as a top back in this class yeah I kind of have similar concerns where you know the lack of bcal experience and just his I always think he's going to be limited by size and strength I don't think he's ever going to be able to take that step to bcow status where you just give him 20 25 carries a game and just be okay with it um I do think he has a really nice floor as kind of a change of pace back I really like his vision in the backfield I thought he was a really smart Runner able to really identify the correct plays and kind of make up for some of his deficiencies with just his football IQ and you know he does have that you know long speed that you like he can really catch you off guard with how quick he can get up there um in terms of his speed uh also didn't love him in the passing game either he didn't really get a lot of opportunities maybe I'll change at Georgia but I don't know I kind of feel like if he was better at it he would have been got getting more opportunities so I'm not expecting a ton of improvement there and I really just think he's kind of a limited as a as a running back right now I don't really see him being able to improve on it but I do think he has a nice floor just with his speed and vision yeah I I thought he was solid on like jump off opportunities I'm just not sure about the overall downfield ability as a receiver he he put up about eight yards a catch and like you said he split in the back field so the 21 reception is not too bad for his last year production but definitely still left to be desired in terms of just what can you do at that next level and what steps can you make I'm excited to see him with Georgia obviously in much better circumstance and much better surrounding team so there's opportunity for him to succeed but moving forward to a transfer running back who succeeded with Oregon State now with the Miami Florida hurricanes that's Damen Martinez a guy that had the same score as etn but I had him at eight and you had him at seven we're gonna say Tai Damen Martinez goes to Bailey here because we have another tie that's gonna go in my favor later but I'll let you take the lead on Damen Martinez yeah this guy is probably the weirdest running back in the class of the guys I watch and to be honest I kind of just love how weird he is I think his uniqueness is really going to help him out in terms of standing out from these other backs um obviously the first thing you mentioned with martinez is you know verify P 141 pounds what the hell um kind of a weird skill set for a guy with his size you kind of expect him to be more of like a gap power guy just ramming through holes but he's really not like that he's more of a like a football IQ and cut guy to create yards for himself and you know obviously that size does help him ball over defenders and he can really like I don't know just you know shake off the These Arm tackles and it's hard to bring him down in the gaps but he he has the ability to really catch guys flato footed who are underestimating him and you know be able to blaze right past him um the biggest issues with him is his speed uh and you know I don't really think he's a three down back either I think he'll be like a two down PowerBack but I think NFL teams are kind of going to kind of see him and be like well he doesn't really have the agility or quickness that you really want from Zone schemes and then you really don't like and in gap schemes he's good but he's not great so I think that's G to be his biggest limiting factors that he schemed versatile but he doesn't really excel in either one just because of his kind of you know weird skill set that he has yeah I'm excited to see him in Miami I think this is going to be a very good team but when it comes to Martinez I think the big hold up for me is when you're 240 pounds I mean you got to use that more and I think he's a little bit hesitant going into contact now that doesn't mean that can't change that's something that Derrick Henry struggled with until I be I mean his second year in Tennessee so it's something that will have to kind of grow in his game but right now I see flashes enough to where I'm willing to buy in especially when he is working between the tackles he has some ability to just absolutely truck through people and just completely haul them through the trenches and get to the sticks and I really love that ability working outside he he kind of uses his patience and vision to kind of pick up yards but man if if he was willing to lower the shoulder a little bit more effectively if he was willing to go in with more violence into these like uh point of attacks on the defender he would be so much higher in my rankings I still like him a lot I still think there's a lot of potential here and especially if he continues to develop the power type of running he's going to make those next steps pretty easily but I don't know there there's definitely a lot of question marks and I like what you said about the receiving issues only 15 catches in his past two years at Oregon State so not sure how much in the past G is able to contribute the blocking I think is somewhat there he showed the ability to kind of get in and truck some Defenders as they're crashing into the back field but you got to be able to contribute as a receiver as well and that's something that's still left to be desired in his game overall though I think the hurricanes are in for a big year and I think Martinez is going to have some very nice moments for this ACC run and I think they can take the conference moving forward to the next back now and that is let me pull this up sorry uh Devin Neil where the biggest split is between Devon Neal me and bayy because I have him as my third ranked back and bayy has him at number 10 for me I love the guy I I think in terms of outside Zone running there's no one in this class that wowed me more than Devin Neil obviously Kansas didn't let him run inside the tackles as much as some of the other backs 5'11 25 pounds the vision's there the speed is there the ability to burst through holes and find those gaps was absolutely incredible and if you're telling me that there's someone in this class I'm too low on I'm probably thinking it's Neil who I still have at number three because there were moments where I I hate to throw this name out because I'm not trying to overdo it with my comparisons but there were moments where I'm like this guy just looks like Christian mcaffrey to me and I know how ridiculous that sounds and I know how next level mcaffrey is but in terms of being outside the tackles and being able to just take advantage of space and create big plays as a result Devon Neil was dominant in that factor and I think what needs to be given to his credit is like Jaylen Daniels only played in three games in 2023 this offense was Devon Neil last year and it did not matter defenses could not stop him he had 1200 yard over 12200 yards nearly 1300 16 touchdowns he showed as a receiver with 25 catches and 21 the year before he has eight eight and a half yards per catch so he's got the production and I think he's got the flashes in his final season with Kansas I'm excited to see what can happen especially if Daniels is healthy but man I'm really liking Devon Neil and I'm excited to see what can happen in 2024 because I think he can be one of the top running backs in this class yeah I mean I don't necessarily disagree with what you said but I think there's a lot of limiting factors in this game that makes me hesitant and I mean obviously when you can send any running back to the 49ers in maybe they'll turn out good but I think in general my biggest issue with him is just he's a guy who's best when he has the ball in his hands and you know his lateral ability is good he's able to change speeds he he's a pretty fast guy but between the tackles I I don't think he's going to be able he's just too light not too light he's not powerful enough I don't trust him to shake off those arm tackles and I think you know Kansas really prioritized getting him in the offense and when you can kind of transition that to the NFL I'm not sure it's going to work to the same effect um he's a guy that I really want to see bulk up I thought he was you know he wasn't strong enough when he was running I don't think think like he's good on those outside runs like I definitely had that written down where he's a good Zone Runner who's best on his outside runs and he's a Shifty guy but I I'm supposed if you put him in the right scheme that he's going to be able to produce well and we've seen him produce well but I just don't trust his ability to mesh with that many teams in the NFL and there's so many you have to be like scheme Versa be successful as a running back in the NFL and I just think that as a pure outside Zone guy that there's not enough teams running it where I can realistically rank him that high just because of how bad he is in every other facet I didn't I didn't see him as that bad I thought that he was intrigued enough and I I think it was more just like he didn't have as much opportunities to Showcase himself as a gap Runner and it was a lot of outside the hashes type of runs option Place stuff like that so I don't know I'm intrigued to see what can happen with Neil but I I really like his upside moving forward though we have Omar on hampon running back out of North Hakeem Hampton Carolina I have him as my sixth ranked back bayy has him as his fourth ranked back six foot 2 120 pounds Bailey what were your thoughts on them yeah this is where you start getting to the guys who I think are just like three down complete backs like this class is really good like I probably have Hampton pretty close to Brooks in like my rankings uh this guy is just so fun to watch play he loves you know just that running hard running through people um Zone Runner uh I thought he did he was good in in his Zone you know he will you know kind of just pick a hole and just hit it hard and hit it quick you know and he has that acceleration to kind of wait until he sees what he likes and then you know just go full speed through them and if you're trying to square them up a lot of times it's not going to end well for you as a Defender he has that three down ability which I think a lot of the other running backs that we mentioned have kind of been lacking he's a good pass catcher and I really think he's one of the better pass blockers I really impressed what I saw from him in pass protection um he has that contact balance that kind of goes with that powerful running style that they like to see uh like especially on like screen place he's gonna be a guy who can shake off some of the tackles from the corners who aren't going to be strong enough to take him down I do think his biggest he does have some big not some big flaws but some limiting factors in his game namely he's a little bit of an uptight guy I don't think he was that great in the open field can't really get make guys miss right he prefers to go through them then around them um yeah that that and then he's not that great laterally either so he's more just kind of a guy who picks his hole hits it hard and good things happen yeah for me personally the biggest issue I had with Hampton wasn't necessarily with Hampton himself it was just the fact that North Carolina operated almost primarily out of the shotgun so a lot of his looks were just sort of gun type looks base whatever but I want to see more under Center type situations where he's getting the ball about five six yards back and then plowing through and seeing what he can do between the tackles or even on outside runs just just under Center looks and see how he looks in more of the standard NFL offensive type style but overall I really like his game 6 foot 220 pounds I first note I wrote was how much I liked him in pass gr you know I I saw the Miami game first and he was consistently picking up on Defenders Drake May was kind of under a lot of fire in that game but it wasn't due to Hampton if it was one of the other offensive line messing up maybe a tight end missing their block Drake May would get hit but Hampton was picking up his assignments pretty well and I was very impressed in that regard he has the frame that I think kind of reminds me of some of the mid 2010 backs you know kind of the Le'Veon Bell Todd Gurley David Johnson type mold with that 6 foot 220 where he has receiver size but also the bulk to be a running back I I thought his lateral speed was pretty good I thought he got outside well he has some nice power and burst through the uh first level get into the second level pretty easily now it's just how's it goingon to be as the centerpiece of this offense rather than kind of playing off Drake may he now has to deal with I mean Max Johnson at quarterback isn't necessarily a bad thing but I think it's very clear that Hampton's going to be the new star in this offense and the centerpiece of what they do offensively so the production's going to ride on him and I'm excited to see how he handles that call because some of these other backs are dealing with similar situations so it's going to be interesting to see what happens but I really like Hampton and he's someone that I had as a third round grade I think he goes in that day two maybe early day three range kind of depends on how the league is looking for running back need but overall I think the talents there moving forward now to Trayon Henderson trayon Henderson a guy that I had as my fourth ranked running back and you had as your fifth Bailey I'll let you start out with Henderson but this is arguably one of two very great Ohio State running backs in this draft Yeah and this is a guy that I would really want to rank higher than I you know ended up doing because I think he just is a really well-rounded bag I feel like he does a lot of things well you know he has that ability to cut he has that big play ability he has that quickness the agility the vision um but it's just like he just obviously the injuries kind of played a big part I think in kind of the lack of production and the lack of what we saw from him and um I didn't really I have here I I'm looking at my notes I didn't really write anything about his pass blocking or his pass catching ability so I'm not really sure about that and I really didn't like his power um I thought he was had a pretty bad inability to ground out yards and those kind of short yard situations where you just kind of need like three or four yards and you just just couldn't consistently give it to you I think my biggest fear with him is that with kind of the split backfield that he's uh G to be operating operating with next year that he's never going to be able to show the ability and what he can do that's kind of my biggest uh peasanty with him is as the NFL is not really going to see how well-rounded he is yeah I'm interested to see what the split is between him and Judkins and it could easily hurt one of their cases when it comes to their NFL draft uh profile and value for Henderson I was really impressed with him I thought the overall just juice that he brings with each carry and the ferociousness he runs with is just very exciting he's someone that has probably more explosiveness than any of the running backs that were drafted last year he's someone that I'm really enjoying every time that I turn on his tape and watch Ohio state will Howard's going to be the like game manager for this offense and they're always going to have talented wide receivers but I think Ohio state is going to have to rely on the Run game if they want to be at their very best this season and Henderson and Judkins both need to be key contributors to this offense I like Henderson I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up better than Judkins when the season comes to an end but obviously heading into the year Judkins has higher expectations currently I have a higher grade on Henderson but I'm very aware that they don't bring in Judkins if they think that he's like just a backup for them because Judkins would want to be like the star of an offense so it's going to be interesting to see how they manage the workload for both these guys and I I like and I'm excited to see him but it wouldn't shock me if maybe a little bit of a colder season working in rotation more kind of limits his draft appeal and he falls down boards a little bit and sees him more in a day three type of light when draft season comes around yeah and the biggest thing I'm worried about Henderson is the scheme fit um I I'm not sure uh how well he's I feel like they might have I fear that they may have given up on him but I I hope I'm proven wrong next season I I hope you're wrong as well but we shall see but moving forward to the next Ohio State back quinon Judkins a guy that I Quinshon Judkins have ranked as my fifth best running back Bailey you have them all the way at number one why don't you gush over him for a little bit before I I take over yeah this is my obviously the favorite my favorite running back in the class have him ranked number one this is like if you put it on to my head who's going to be like a productive running back in the NFL this is going to be who I pick super powerful Runner able to carve out the yardage in this short in the short yard situations always you know a positive play Guy Breaking tons of tackles it kind of goes hand inand with that power and the strength he brings um he's a very patient Runner which I thought was kind of surprising with his skill set most guys his size try to you know aggressively just hit holes and he kind of just waited them out kind of took what the defense gave him more than um I think uh a lot of guys's size would be and especially what he was facing you know a lot of stacked boxes really hard to like be willing to stay in that back field and just wait that extra split seconds so see if something will open up and but I I give him a lot of credit for you know having the ability to do that and trusting in his you know abilities to kind of get out of those situations and you know make chunk plays uh he he's pretty fast I I think that you know when you look at the the power plus the speed it's really really tantalizing and it's clear to see why he had so much you know success right now in college football just really hard for you know college players to really match that power and speed combination the faster guys can't bring him down and the more powerful guys can keep up with him he's just he's just an amazing running back um and you know he has that three down completeness great pass blocker and he's capable as a pass Catcher And I don't know I I struggled to come up with negatives when I watched him play I didn't think I saw anything where there would be any hesit hesitancy with me taking him or anything is just just an amazing back yeah he's someone that I was impressed with he had three less carries for about 400 less yards so it was a little bit of a step back compared to his freshman season with uh arguably the bigger share of the running back backfield but overall this has been a guy that's been the centerpiece of the ol Miss offense for two years now and now he's heading to Ohio State I really liked his contact balance I think he was aggressive as a runner but still was able to take on contact keep him composure and keep momentum going with his runs I liked his pass walking as well I thought he was very impressive in that regard he's someone that am kind of curious about the off field stuff because Jackson Dart kind of took to Instagram when he transferred and was like oh man you know when you're not bought into the team it's better to just not have you whatever like it paraphrasing but that was kind of the message that Jackson Dart sent so there's going to be questions about his character and you know what type of attitude and energy he brings to the locker room and you know there's been instances where guys are very talented Runners but teams are willing to kind of let them slip down the board a little bit so maybe in a loaded running back class Judkins could be viewed as maybe the best runner or best running back as a whole but eventually they kind of value the locker room presence or the team work ability and then they say oh Judkins is down a little bit now I'm G I'm not gonna let Jackson Dart dictate my like overall view on Judkins I'm not gonna drop from rounds or anything I still think he's a great back but um I don't know it's just something to Monitor and it's something that I think some teams will bring up as a question mark some uh media will be talking about it especially as he officially declares and draft season gets closer and they need talking points and content to really discuss further but it's something that's going to be discussed and it's going to be kind of a cloud now that lingers over them but overall I think the package is there six foot 220 pound back that can really do it all and I'm really excited to see what he does to Ohio State I think this is a very good roster as long as will Howard's Good Enough there's no reason they can't be a contender in the conference or in the college football realm so I'm very excited for the Buckey and I think quinon Judkins and trayon Henderson whoever's taking more carries they're both going to be key pieces to this offense and both are going to be in for big seasons in my opinion next up we have the 2023 do Walker Award winner and that is Oli Gordon running back out of Oklahoma State and I mean really just the award itself speaks to the level of talent Ollie Gordon that this guy has but even when you turn on the tape there is so much supporting it I have him as my second ranked back bayy has him as his second ranked back and he is I mean just the centerpiece of this Oklahoma State offense he is someone that is going to to continuously get 20 plus carries a game and he's continuously putting in some great numbers 6 to 225 pounds he's someone that maybe isn't as bursty as some of the other backs in this class he doesn't have as much immediate quick short short area speed but uh he is someone that you know long strides very good at finding holes finding uh gaps whether it's between the tackles or on the outside and converting it into big effective carries whether that's getting the six yard five yard pickups or it's turning in the 20 plus yard carries to really flip the field for an offense and put them in scoring position so this is someone that I think is the complete back when it comes to just what he's able to do in the back field with the ball in his hands as a receiver he wasn't necessarily dominant but he had 39 catches so he's definitely shown some flashes and I think he's on the right trajectory in his third year I expect him to maybe put up similar production hopefully he can get a little bit more yardage on those reception totals and opportunities with the ball in space but I mean bayy this was an Oklahoma State team that had very low expectations from a lot of the media ended up really kind of faltering out of the gates Oly Gordon eventually kind of took a lead role in this offense lead role in the back field and things turned hot for the Cowboys what were your thoughts on Gordon in evaluation yeah I mean you covered it pretty well but you know Gordon was absolutely fantastic for Oklahoma State and I think the biggest kind of thing that when you kind of watch Gordon is just um his size and I mean he is such a well balanced running back where you know he knows how to take advantage of defenses he can really read how the defenses lined up and know how to take advantage of them if you're slow kind of to read and React to what he does he's going to burst through the hole if you kind of try to over pursue or he can cut back he can really do everything he's such a well-run back the only hesitancy I have with him is I think he might be a little bit um of a pester I'm not really sure if the athleticism is all there but he's such a productive Runner and he's so proven and even against these stacked boxes he just per performs and produces and you know there's really no questions left with him when it comes to how give a running back he is just more of like where is that ceiling with him and I do think it might be lower comparatively to some of the other running backs in his class which is why I had him did not have him number one even though when you watch him play he's clearly like one the best you know I mean he was the best running back in college football last year but you that's why I kind of a little bit lower on him I still think he's like a round two running back and I still do think that he you know has a really really solid floor and he's going to be starting running back in the NFL but I do feel like we may see some of the guys behind him kind of Lea frog themselves ahead of him with some you know off the charts testing or just some crazy crazy athleticism that Gordon doesn't possess but right now he's like he's my running back too but I don't really expect him to take another step forward where some of these other running backs could do that yeah honestly if you were to tell me someone that like is sort of a comparison not necessarily the same frame or anything but similar type of college success and maybe even a little bit of a surprise at the combine Kenneth Walker kind of comes to mind where it's like man this guy's just such an effective Runner that you don't really have questions about what he's able to do at the next level it's just how much of that overall skill set and that next level ability does he have to kind of separate himself from being a great running back into like Superstar back and Kenneth Walker even kind of surprised at the combine with his numbers so it wouldn't surpris me if Gordon kind of does similarly but this is someone that I think there there is kind of limitations in terms of just the overall like I don't know it's so hard to say because he's like very good in like every category to where it's just like you love Gordon and we have him as our number two back so it's hard to be like chopping them down and acting like there's there's these easy flaws to notice on tape but I just think that it's easier to buy into some of these like short area quickness type of guys that can kind of create those extra yards in those plays make an extra Defender Miss and that's what to getting those Next Level type of situations and that's what takes him to the next tier if he's able to find that this year maybe dropping a little bit of weight he finds this new level of elusiveness and he's even better than he already was and yeah he's probably unquestioned rb1 for me but still I mean he's someone that's going to be first round great for me I expect him to be day one maybe early day two type pick uh but overall I mean I I was really impressed I think he's someone that it cannot be understated how much of this Oklahoma State team had to rely on him because they were looking pretty rough early on in the year losing to South Alabama uh struggling offensively and then they eventually relied on Gordon and they found a new like just win and they were able to reach the Big 12 championship and it was all because of that running back that it's just doing everything for this team so he's a stud and I'm really excited to see him in 2024 because I think he continues to carry that momentum and you know if he if he does find that next level this could be a Heisman winner and I know for running back that's gotten very rare but he has capability yeah I absolutely have him as Heisman Contender is one of my notes um I do think he'll be an early round two guy just that's pretty much testing um dependent if he tests a little bit even like above average like a seven or eight RS probably have him in the first round but think he might be on like the low end of six or something like that which might be splinting hairs but when we kind of see the success that which like running back had success as rookies this year in the NFL with a chain and Gibbs it's those guys who have that ability to make people Miss in the open field and you know the NFL with that smaller field it's so important to have that ability where you don't have as much of the sideline as you do in the college game so we may see some teams try to prioritize that which may push push Corin down too but I mean he's just so complete of a back that it's hard for me to see a world where he's not given you know a lead back opportunity somewhere next year yeah and I do want to say even though he maybe doesn't have like the burst and juice that some of these other backs have I did write down that his anticipation is so good that still is effective at finding ways to evade defenders in space to where he's able to make those big plays consistently for the Cowboys it's just at the NFL level that's going to get a little more difficult and how's he going to do it against similar tier of athletes where everyone's kind of T testing in a certain range and everyone's kind of producing at a certain level to where making those Defenders Miss and anticipating their mistakes is going to be a lot more difficult to do but moving on to the top back you had him as number three I had him as number one Ashton jent running back for Boise State a guy that I absolutely love 59 28 pounds a Ashton Jent guy that I think is an amazing contributor both with as a receiver or as a runner he has big play ability he has the ability to grind it out between the tackles I love his vision I think he is extremely Stout but he uses that to kind of add to his frame and add to his skill set rather than letting it hinder him uh this was another guy that kind of entered a Boise State offense that he wasn't necessarily expected to be the Bellow but his production was just so undeniable that he eventually just completely took over the offense and was the star for this team the Broncos started out a little bit cold the beginning of the year and they really kind of caught fire at the end and a big part of it is Genty you know he he's someone that in terms of skill set he kind of reminds me of David Johnson and I think that's that's probably like the a little bit maybe favorable to him and I know that Johnson was a little bit bigger but overall I feel like they're very similar type of players where they're able to create those big plays able to contribute at various levels of the game and I'm really excited for jenty I think he's another guy that is a contender for a first round pick obviously how the league values running back is going to kind of impact where these ball carriers fall off the board on draft day but I think the league does it enough for playmaking running backs to where guys like jeny and guys like Gordon can go on day one I think they're very capable and very deserving if a team has the need for it yeah absolutely I mean with jenty like we just talked about with you know Gibbs and a chain oh my God is it hard to tackle this guy like you just see him in the open field you know he's breaking off all these tackles he's evading the other guy he just has such a great combination of all these skills that make him impossible to tackle you know he has that low center of gravity kind of Austin neck like where you can't really you know get like a really low to take him down but if you try to get too low he's just going to side step you and run past you you know he has those kind of nimble feet catch Defenders flat footed he's a pretty powerful Runner too you know what I mean he can really get those legs turning kind kind of get that powerful leg drive to just keep powering through arm tackles and you know you combine that with a great pass catching ability he's a really really good running back yeah what's what I'm most excited about is just I mean the fact that he's willing to stay at Boise State and just continue to be the star for this offense I think Wills kind of speak volumes to teams that are like hey you know this is this is a league where it's kind of difficult to keep onto your stars and keep the value there but if this guy is buying into the program that he originally committed to didn't want to take advantage of the nil and go to maybe like a Georgia or Florida N Miss or something he wanted to stay at Boise State and I think that'll speak well the teams obviously it doesn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things but I I love the talent and I think he's someone that you know can can potentially keep up the G5 streak of having a first round pick and I think it's Genty yeah very selfishly I did want him to transfer up I do think his best games were kind of against weaker opponents and when he did play some better OPP uh opponents maybe this is more of a reflection of the uh Team he was on but really did feel like he looked a little bit overmatched but that's probably just you know oine stuff and play calling difference and just overall tal difference with him but I would love to see him you know behind you know a P5 or P4 o line with a you know a good QB and a good play caller and somewhere that he can maximize his abilities you know I do respect the uh this is in the stay but you know as a as a you know kind of an evaluator you kind of want to see him go to the next level and against the highest competition uh the other thing I think he might be a sneaky bad tester uh which you know similar to Gordon which is why he didn't really have him that high I think he could be a little bad but we'll see about that I'm really bad at uh trying to evaluate these types of things so he's probably gonna be like a N9 n Rus guy at the end of the year um and the other negative last negative I uh had against him was a bad pass blocker he probably can't improve just with that good contact balance and you know I said this before but I really do see like an Austin Eckler as floor for him and you know Austin Eckler was you know a really productive running back really great in that red zone really good as a a third down back and yeah and he's probably you know a better Runner than eor was so yeah my hopes are high for this guy I hope he continues to to keep this up yeah and NFL coaches usually expect their working running backs to be pretty bad at pass protection obviously they would like to see more out of these guys and there are people like Amari and Hampton who are going to impress and you know maybe get a little of excitement out of teams that love to throw the ball down field more but I think they're willing to kind of take the process especially when they show the physicality and ability to do it so as long as jenty shows some flashes teams are still willing to make that investment I'm excited see what he can do at the NFL level because I think this is just a start of Genty hype I think 2024 is going to be a great season for him and then he's gonna enter the NFL and hit the ground running I I'm excited for him I'm excited for this running back class as a whole and here on two-minute drill we will definitely be covering it that's Bailey Kumar I'm Michael Rockman that's all for the top running back discussion tomorrow we'll be back and we'll be discussing some of our favorite Sleepers at the position for this class then later in the week we'll talk about wide receivers slot receivers tight ends going forward and offensive line um later down the road but yeah we have all the positions coming to you here on the two-minute drill podcast like I said earlier I'm Michael Rockman that's Bailey Kumar and that's the two-minute drill thanks for watching