Bolstering needed at this under-the-radar position
Iowa State v Kansas | Kyle Rivas/GettyImages
The New England Patriots have two overarching needs in the 2025 draft: left tackle and wide receiver. Failure to fill them will likely consign the Pats to the now-too-familiar last place in the AFC East. New Head Coach Mike Vrabel won’t repeat that misstep of 2024.
Another position flying under the radar is the running back room. The Patriots have two solid NFL backs, Rhamondre Stevenson (a trade candidate) and Antonio Gibson. Neither is a game-breaker or a bell-cow back, so the Patriots need to draft at least one.
Let’s look at several solid options in a deep running back class. The Pats should be able to land quality even in the lower mid-to-late rounds. They should do so, and adding two makes sense. The first option isn’t a low-round guy, but he’d fit the team to a T.
4 running backs options for the Patriots in the draft
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
The first back is the best running back in the draft, a bell-cow back with a nose for the end zone, Ashton Jeanty from Boise State. Jeanty provides an immediate two-pronged offense for any team with a top quarterback like the Patriots. It’s a bit counterintuitive, but rest assured, if Jeanty finds his way to Foxborough, Patriot Nation should be ecstatic.
Jeanty will take a top-six pick in the draft. He seems to be ticketed to Las Vegas at pick No. 6, where Tom Brady is helping pull the strings. Brady knows when you have a back like Jeanty, as he did in 2003 with Corey Dillon, it can propel you to a title if you have that quarterback on hand.
An early mock draft forecasted Jeanty to the Patriots in round one. While other needs loom large, selecting Jeanty with pick No.4 would be a masterstroke. New Head Coach Mike Vrabel soared when he had Derrick Henry in his backfield at Tennessee, even without a top quarterback. Adding Jeanty to Drake Maye is the stuff of nightmares for opposing NFL defenses.
Pro Football Focus has Jeanty rated not only as their top running back but also as their fifth-best player overall in the 2025 Draft. His stats in 2024 justify that. He toted the rock for 2601 yards, a 7.0 yard per carry average, and 29 touchdowns. He’s a home run pick.
Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
A mid-round possibility is Ohio State’s big back, Quinshon Judkins. Judkins logged 1054 yards, a 5.5-yard-per-carry average, and scored 14 touchdowns while sharing work with another top Buckeyes’ back, Treveyon Henderson.
PFF has notes this about the 6’0″, 219-pound masher,
“Judkins is a strong north-to-south runner who generates impressive speed-to-power for consistent yards after the catch. However, his game lacks the creativity needed to consistently win in the NFL, independent of his offensive line…”
Devin Neal, Kansas
Another mid-round option is Kansas’s Devin Neal. Neal is a 5’11, 213-pounder. In 2024, Neal gained 1266 yards with a 5.5-yard-per-carry average and 16 touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for another 254 yards and another score.
nfl.com notes this about the Jayhawk runner in their Overview of the player,
“Workload runner with NFL size and four years of steady production to help elevate the program. Neal runs with a nice blend of patience and decisiveness to choose the right lanes and maximize each carry. He lacks top-end burst and speed, which will shrink the field for him, but he’s a fall-forward runner with good contact balance and a nose for short-yardage conversions…”
Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State
A late-round option is Oklahoma State’s 6’2, 226-pound Ollie Gordon. Gordon had a down year in 2024, gaining 880 yards with 13 touchdowns. But in 2023, he rumbled for 1732 yards, a 6.3 yards per carry average, and 21 TDs while catching 39 for 330 yards and another score. He’s exactly the type of back to take a flier on in a later round.
nfldraftbuzz.com notes this about the Cowboys’ Gordon,
“Gordon projects as a physical downhill runner whose value lies primarily in his early-down and short-yardage capabilities. His running style thrives in gap and power schemes where his momentum and tackle-breaking abilities can be harnessed without requiring much lateral creativity. The film shows a back with excellent vision between the tackles who knows how to set up blocks and explode through creases once he’s identified them…”
These four running backs might be solid targets for the Patriots in the 2025 draft. If they want the best, they probably can get him, Ashton Jeanty, at pick No. 4, and they’ll get a top grade if they do. Otherwise, they have other solid options later in the draft.
