Is Nicholas Singleton the Next Tony Pollard?

First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst Rajvir Bal sees Titans’ running back Tony Pollard when he was studying the game film of Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton.

Time to talk about one of the more dynamic players in the 2025 NFL Draft ⎯Penn State running back (RB) Nicholas Singleton.

No doubt, Penn State has put up a stellar season heading into the National Championship Game and NFL Scouting eyes undoubtedly have been watching Singleton.

In a pretty deep RB class with some valuable day 2 talent, Singleton could get lost in the shuffle leading up to draft day. However, that won’t happen if I can help it. The game film has caused me TO GET LOUD about Singleton.

Background

Singleton was a 5-star prospect out of high school and committed to Penn State. He attended high school in Pennsylvania and also competed in Track and Field (247Sports).

Stats:

2023 rushing: 171 carries for 752 yards (4.4 avg.), 8 TD

2023 receiving: 26 receptions 308 yards (11.8 avg.), 2 TD

2024 rushing: 172 carries for 1,099 yards (6.4 avg.), 12 TD

2024 receiving: 41 receptions, 375 yards (9.1 avg.), 5 TD

#10 Nicholas Singleton 6-foot-0, 227 pounds 
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: Second-Round (I would select him)
Projected by 3.2% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of January 11, 2025 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2024 game film reviewed: West Virginia, Illinois, Ohio State, and Oregon (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Strengths

Singleton is extremely versatile. On some plays, he looked like a pure receiving back. On others, he was carrying dudes on his back and looked like a power back. This versatility offers an interesting upside. Because he won’t likely be a bellcow, not being a one-trick pony allows for a team to value him highly without necessarily giving him 30+ carries a game. He lined up out wide, in the backfield, and often went in motion pre-snap. Singleton has a great ability to follow his blockers and to find even the smallest of holes in the D-Line. Good blocker. He was an intense and forceful blocker who gave it his all. That shows a lot about who he is as a football player. He’s nifty in the open field and has some pretty great jump cuts. He served as a dependable underneath safety blanket for his quarterback, Drew Allar.

Weaknesses

I have two chief concerns. The first one is his balance. Singleton is a victim of too many “shoe-lace tackles” on film. As soon as defenders dove at his feet he dropped to the turf. This lack of balance will affect his ability to hit holes and find ways to gain yardage at the next level. Balance may seem like a small flaw in his game, but it could greatly affect the way he produces at the next level. The other concern was a pretty big one. Why was #13 (RB Kaytron Allen) Penn State’s number one option on the ground? Why couldn’t Singleton couldn’t outplay Allen, how can he outplay NFL-level RB1s? However, this is also an experience issue. He hasn’t been told to carry his team and has never been treated as the No. 1. There’s a question of how that will play out on his new team.

Ten Adjectives

Versatile. Adaptable. Physical. Unbalanced. Explosive. Patient. Undeveloped. Inconsistent. Fragile. Reliable.

NFL Crystal Ball

New England Patriots

Carolina Panthers

Kansas City Chiefs

Pro Comp: Tony Pollard (signed a three-year $24 million deal with the Titans).

Pollard has surpassed 4,500 yards on the ground and caught passes totaling over 1,500 yards as a running back in the NFL.

Final Thoughts

Midway through the second round would be the perfect spot to select this Penn State prospect.

Singleton is a high-end NFL RB2. A team looking to add some explosiveness and stability to their offense should look into selecting him.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.