The First Round Quinshon Judkins Argument

I had a first-round grade on running back Quinshon Judkins last season at Ole Miss, but then he transferred to Ohio State and was getting stifled more it seemed splitting time with fellow running back TreVeyon Henderson. I started to think “second-round.”

Then the college playoffs happened ⎯and Judkins went into beast mode.

He was running wild ⎯like he was possessed or something. Judkins was hitting holes EVEN HARDER and running with more determination, and way more attitude than I’d seen come out of him before. Suddenly, he would not be denied. That did it for me.

Runningbacks are trending 📈

It also helps that Judkins is hitting the NFL’s timeline just right.

With runningbacks Saquon Barkley (Eagles) and Derrick Henry (Titans) finishing the regular season as the top two rushers in the NFL (2,005 yards and 1,921 yards), suddenly the position is “relevant again.” Despite giving up 14-28 pounds to Barkley and Henry respectively, this bodes well for Judkins in a copy-cat league because he has a similar running style.

Yardage after contact:

• Barkley 2.0
• Henry 2.8

Judkins checked in at 3.04 yards per carry (PFF) after contact, albeit in college.

But can he hit home runs?

This was one of my biggest question marks on him heading into this season and Judkins responded with an 80-yard touchdown run that was called back against Western Michigan and then he took it to the house for 86 yards vs. Marshall. But that was Western Michigan and Marshall. Okay, how about this ⎯he ripped off 70 yards against Notre Dame in the National Championship game before eventually getting caught from behind.

Let’s compare the speed:

• Barkley 21.93 MPH (career high)
• Henry 21.8 MPH (career high)
• Judkins was clocked between 17-23 MPH in this clip vs. Marshall:

Selflessness

This is one of the most desirable traits in team sports and Judkins has it.

He was the same guy whether he was running the ball or blocking. He hit defenders just as hard.

Judkins also did a good job picking up blitzes when staying in to pass protect.

What does Judkins look like on film?

Judkins runs like a human sledgehammer. Consistently.

He has:

• Excellent vision
• Patience
• Cat quick acceleration
• Punishing brutality

Defenses need to get him before he gets started, or he’s going to get them. He was only stonewalled 25 times that I chicken-scratched in these 16 games. The rest of the time, the results often varied between 2-15 yards.

The biggest knocks I have on Judkins ⎯he runs too upright and he’s not a quick reactionary cut-on-a-dime-and-leave-you-five-cents change-of-direction runner. Think power back trapped in a scatback’s body.

Judkins’ change of direction is calculated. He showed the tendency to “windmill” with one of his arms to maintain his balance when attempting to make quick and unexpected changes of direction. This is why he tended to hit more ‘singles’ than anything else. It’s also why the Buckeyes’ did a lot of pitch plays attempting to get him out into space.

However, the more the offensive line blocks it up for him ⎯the more doubles and triples he hits inside.

#1 Quinshon Judkins 6-foot-0, 219 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2025 NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 16.4% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of February 5, 2025 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Quinshon Judkins Punishes Defenses (2023: 13 games evaluated)

2024 game film evaluated: Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall, Michigan State, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Bullish prospect with explosive initial speed and powerful leg drive. Muscular. Violent cutback runner. Decisive. Energetic. Emotional. Star aura. Compensates for some tightness changing direction with upper-body ‘shake and bake.’ Looks to stay in bounds. Flashes devastating stiff-arm. Picks up the tough yards. Inconsistent winning the edge. Better north-south. Workhorse. Gets better with more carries. Runs like football is important to him. Challenging to bring down. Makes something out of nothing. One fumble this season. Dependable receiver and check-down who works back toward the quarterback when he’s in trouble.

Final words

Judkins is the “Ashton Jeanty Jr.” of this draft.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.