2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Quinshon Judkins

Judkins completed every test at the NFL Combine except the agility test. He scored an excellent relative athletic score of 9.87 out of 10, which can change as official results finalize and pro days occur.

Background

Coming out of high school in Pike Road, Alabama, Quinshon Judkins was a three-star recruit and the country's #53 running back. He committed to Ole Miss despite Notre Dame, Arkansas, Michigan, and Penn State's offers.

Judkins played in a rotation for the first seven games as a true freshman before taking over as the starter, accumulating 1,699 total yards and 17 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he put up 1,308 total yards and 17 touchdowns. Judkins transferred to Ohio State for his Junior season, contributing 1,221 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Buckeyes. He capped off his college career with 121 yards and three touchdowns on just 13 touches against Notre Dame in the National Championship.

Judkins finished his college career with 3,786 rush yards, 442 receiving yards, 50 touchdowns, and three fumbles across three seasons. He racked up numerous accolades in his time with the Rebels and Buckeyes

• 2022: first-team All-SEC, SEC Freshman of the Year, Conerly Trophy, CBS National Freshman of the Year
• 2023: First-team All-SEC, Athletic Director's Honor Roll
• 2024: Third-team All-Big Ten, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District

Amongst 161 FBS running backs with at least 100 carries in 2024, Judkins had the 10th-best overall PFF grade, the 12th-best rushing grade, and the 21st-best receiving grade. His elusiveness rating of 69.3 ranked 95th, and his yards after contact per attempt ranked 121st. His elusiveness ratings and yards after contact per attempt were better in previous years at Ole Miss.

Strengths:

• Downhill Demeanor: Judkins is a stoutly built back who runs with a low pad level between the tackles and good leg drive to churn through contact. He displays impressive contact balance to play through arm tackles.
• Explosiveness: He shows excellent burst to plant and get vertical out of jump cuts and lateral steps.
• Strength: Judkins displays his powerful upper body with a devastating stiff arm move.
• Patience: He shows good vision between the tackles and is patient enough to let the run lanes open before attacking downhill. Judkins uses his eyes, head, and body to line up blocks and deceive would-be tacklers.
• Shifty: Judkins is a springy, slippery runner who is hard to square up. He shows a good understanding of angles and body positioning to limit the impact of each hit and allow opportunities to break free.
• Bright Lights: He looked like a different player in 2024 once the college football playoffs started, saving his best performance for the championship game.

Weaknesses:

• Inconsistent Burst: Despite his 40 time, Judkin's speed and explosion were inconsistent on tape, with games where he didn't show the same caliber of burst.
• Too Patient: There are moments where he is too patient behind the line of scrimmage, allowing defenders to catch him behind or near the starting point.
• Pop: Judkins doesn't bring a lot of pure pop to the tackle point, which is surprising given his size and strength. In close quarters, he runs with more shake than pure power.
• Inconsistent Production: Judkins gained large amounts of yards in only a handful of games in 2024, with seven games below 50 yards and six games below 4 yards per carry.
• Passing Downs: As a pass catcher with questionable hands, he struggles to adjust to the football's path. As a blocker, he is willing but still very raw.

Final Thoughts and Bears Fit for Quinshon Judkins:

I felt lukewarm about the first few games I watched from Judkins. While I saw a powerful runner with size and impressive burst, I was left wanting more. Then I watched the College Football Playoff games and saw a game-changing football player. The combination of size, burst, patience, creativity, and wiggle is hard to overlook.

Judkins is a powerful but shifty running back who thrives between the tackles. Those are two words that usually don't get paired together, which speaks to Judkins' upside. His explosiveness allows him to make quick cuts and get vertical, while his patience and vision help him manipulate defenders and find running lanes. He has enough wiggle to change tackling angles, which prevents defenders from squaring him up and allows him to break tackles at a high rate.

However, his burst is inconsistent, and he can sometimes be overly patient, leading to negative plays. I want to see how his power plays at the NFL level, where he might get squared up more often. Additionally, there is limited evidence of him impacting the passing game as a receiver and blocker, making him a work in progress on third downs.

Judkins has as much upside as any back in this class. He offers a complete toolbox with a few expensive tools that are still brand new. He was used as more of a power back for much of this season, but his tape at Ole Miss shows more of what we saw in the College Football Playoff. His ceiling is that of a clear Pro Bowl player with some All-Pro potential. His floor is as a quality two-down back who exits on clear passing downs.

Judkins will likely be an option for the Bears in the second round. He can serve as an early down runner with a thumping playstyle, while D'Andre Swift can handle the passing down work. Judkins is a ball of clay that can be molded as the Bears' needs change. He has the tools to become a complete three-down back. It could take a few seasons for him to become a capable blocker and pass catcher, but there are no clear obstacles. His run scheme versatility would serve Ben Johnson's offense well since Johnson has shown an affinity for gap and zone run schemes.

Ceiling Pro Comp: Nick Chubb

Middle Ground Pro Comp: Jay Ajayi