Getty Images Browns running back Quinshon Judkins is eager to start his own legacy.
The Cleveland Browns don’t have a shortage of rookies who the team hopes can contribute in 2025 with players like DT Mason Graham, LB Carson Schwesinger, TE Harold Fannin, RB Dylan Sampson, and Dillon Gabirel or Shedeur Sanders at quarterback.
Yet, one Browns rookie feels like he is being overlooked as a potential Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY) candidate entering the 2025 NFL season.
Quinshon Judkins Has Legitimate Offensive Rookie of the Year Upside in 2025
It has been a bit of a dry spell for running backs winning the OROY award in the NFL over the past the last six years, but there was a stretch from 2015 to 2018 where three backs earned the annual honor in four years.
Well, Beckett Mesko of PFF believes Quinshon Judkins believes rookie RB Quinshon Judkins has a shot at the OROY award in 2025.
Mesko wrote, “The Browns selected Quinshon Judkins with the 36th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, making him the third running back off the board. With Nick Chubb no longer on the roster and only Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. in the room before the draft, running back was a position of need, and Cleveland wasted no time addressing it with Judkins and, eventually, Dylan Sampson in the fourth round.”
Judkins combines the rushing physicality of bulldozer with the quick feet of a tap dancer, which makes him a bit of a unicorn that actually resembles former Browns RB Nick Chubb.
Mesko added, “Judkins enters as the projected lead back in the Browns’ offense, with Ford expected to rotate in. It’s no stretch to call him the heir to Nick Chubb’s role, as the two tested similarly athletically at the NFL Scouting Combine, with Judkins even clocking in a bit faster.”
Judkins 1,060 rushing yards over his final collegiate year don’t tell the whole story of how dynamic he is as a ball carrier.
Ashton Jeanty is widely regarded as a great running back prospect because of his elite contract balance. Judkins advanced analytics numbers speak favorably just how elusive this 221-pound running back really is.
Mesko concluded, “But Judkins’ combine numbers aren’t the only positive to his profile. He forced 199 missed tackles over the past three seasons, the third most among FBS running backs, and earned a 90.0 PFF grade in 2024, the highest mark among Big Ten running backs. With a clear runway to volume and the skill set to capitalize, Judkins at 16-1 to win Offensive Rookie of the Year is a bet worth sprinkling.”
How Much Will This Browns’ Offense Hurt Judkins OROY Chances?
Judkins is expected to be the leading ball carrier of the Browns offense. That is working for him.
Judkins is also an imposing ball carrier with great vision, patience, contact balance, and elusiveness. That is also working for him.
Yet, everything else around Judkins could be what holds him back in 2025.
The quarterback situation is a mess, the offensive line showed signs of decline last season, and the backfield should see some contributions from Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford — which doesn’t bode well for a running back who is likely to have limited red zone opportunities in an offense that is expected to struggle in 2025.
Judkins’ talent alone warrants consideration for placing a wager on the odds Mesko mentioned, but a lot of things will have fall correctly for Judkins to take home the OROY hardware in 2025.
Derek Tate covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Heavy.com from 2022 to 2023. His bylines include Pro Football Network, The Athletic, Dr. Roto, Fantasy Focused and NewsNet. More about Derek Tate
