Sure, the Tennessee Titans already have Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears on roster. But as the 2025 NFL Draft draws near, expect the Titans to be involved in the running back market as the team searches for a bigger-bodied power back to do some of the dirty work in short yardage and red zone situations.
The 2025 NFL Draft begins on April 24, and the Titans own eight draft picks, including the No. 1 pick in the first round. It’s highly unlikely they’ll use that pick to consider a running back, but given this team’s wide range of needs, a back could be at play just about anywhere else.
Here are The Tennessean’s rankings of the top 10 running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft who could help the Titans.
2025 NFL Draft running back rankings: Best players available
1. Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
Jeanty’s about as perfect as a downhill running back prospect can be. He’s going to be drafted highly enough that it’d be too much of a luxury for the Titans to consider him. But his skills are undeniable.
2. TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)
Henderson doesn’t fit the Titans’ need as much as he just has too much talent to ignore. When Ohio State deployed Henderson as a change-of-pace back who can make plays in space and in the passing game in 2024, he thrived. NFL teams should look at him the same way: not as an every-down thumper but as the electric spark in a rotation.
3. Omarion Hampton (North Carolina)
Hampton’s the kind of big, straight-ahead runner who would help the Titans in a big way, albeit one who profiles more as an every down back than a situational one. If the Titans are drafting him to be Pollard’s replacement rather than his change-of-pace, it’s a nice fit.
4. Kaleb Johnson (Iowa)
Johnson could develop into a top-tier power back given his size and strength profile. He’s made his name playing a little bit more of a quickness game than a power game, but he’s someone the Titans have done their diligence on in the draft process.
5. Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State)
Judkins is another between-the-tackles back who knows how to fight for short yardage. Judkins doesn’t have the breakaway athletic traits that many top backs do, but he’s a pounding player who wears defenses down and has a definite nose for the end zone.
6. Cam Skattebo (Arizona State)
Skattebo is a yards after contact machine who also knows how to make plays in the passing game. If the main qualification here is production, Skattebo was as productive as any running back this side of Jeanty in 2024, and the numbers he put up in the College Football Playoff prove he can play up to competition.
7. RJ Harvey (UCF)
Harvey plays more like a power back than he’s shaped like one. He impressed at the Senior Bowl and put up solid numbers at the NFL combine. But more than anything else, he’s the kind of player who scored a bunch of touchdowns in college and a lighter workload at the pro level could lead to better stamina and more game-changing plays.
8. Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
Maybe there’s a little concern about Gordon’s stats dropping off between 2023 and 2024, but Oklahoma State’s team was awfully different around him too. One thing that’s for certain is Gordon has plenty of tape where he runs through and over defenders.
9. Dylan Sampson (Tennessee)
Sampson isn’t the same kind of back as Gordon or Hampton, but his feel for moving in space and knack for finding his way into the end zone is worth investigating. Sure, some of his success was probably tied to Tennessee’s scheme. But players don’t have that kind of success in the SEC without having real NFL skills.
10. Jarquez Hunter (Auburn)
And here’s one more back who thrived against SEC competition. Hunter knows his way around a rotation based off the success he had early in his Auburn tenure and also has the strength and balance to power through arm tackles. Like some of the other backs above him, he might not profile as an every-down back but could fill a gap like the one the Titans have.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ranking top 10 NFL draft RBs, from Ashton Jeanty to Cam Skattebo, more
Sure, the Tennessee Titans already have Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears on roster. But as the 2025 NFL Draft draws near, expect the Titans to be involved in the running back market as the team searches for a bigger-bodied power back to do some of the dirty work in short yardage and red zone situations.
The 2025 NFL Draft begins on April 24, and the Titans own eight draft picks, including the No. 1 pick in the first round. It’s highly unlikely they’ll use that pick to consider a running back, but given this team’s wide range of needs, a back could be at play just about anywhere else.
Here are The Tennessean’s rankings of the top 10 running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft who could help the Titans.
2025 NFL Draft running back rankings: Best players available
1. Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
Jeanty’s about as perfect as a downhill running back prospect can be. He’s going to be drafted highly enough that it’d be too much of a luxury for the Titans to consider him. But his skills are undeniable.
2. TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State)
Henderson doesn’t fit the Titans’ need as much as he just has too much talent to ignore. When Ohio State deployed Henderson as a change-of-pace back who can make plays in space and in the passing game in 2024, he thrived. NFL teams should look at him the same way: not as an every-down thumper but as the electric spark in a rotation.
3. Omarion Hampton (North Carolina)
Hampton’s the kind of big, straight-ahead runner who would help the Titans in a big way, albeit one who profiles more as an every down back than a situational one. If the Titans are drafting him to be Pollard’s replacement rather than his change-of-pace, it’s a nice fit.
4. Kaleb Johnson (Iowa)
Johnson could develop into a top-tier power back given his size and strength profile. He’s made his name playing a little bit more of a quickness game than a power game, but he’s someone the Titans have done their diligence on in the draft process.
5. Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State)
Judkins is another between-the-tackles back who knows how to fight for short yardage. Judkins doesn’t have the breakaway athletic traits that many top backs do, but he’s a pounding player who wears defenses down and has a definite nose for the end zone.
6. Cam Skattebo (Arizona State)
Skattebo is a yards after contact machine who also knows how to make plays in the passing game. If the main qualification here is production, Skattebo was as productive as any running back this side of Jeanty in 2024, and the numbers he put up in the College Football Playoff prove he can play up to competition.
7. RJ Harvey (UCF)
Harvey plays more like a power back than he’s shaped like one. He impressed at the Senior Bowl and put up solid numbers at the NFL combine. But more than anything else, he’s the kind of player who scored a bunch of touchdowns in college and a lighter workload at the pro level could lead to better stamina and more game-changing plays.
8. Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
Maybe there’s a little concern about Gordon’s stats dropping off between 2023 and 2024, but Oklahoma State’s team was awfully different around him too. One thing that’s for certain is Gordon has plenty of tape where he runs through and over defenders.
9. Dylan Sampson (Tennessee)
Sampson isn’t the same kind of back as Gordon or Hampton, but his feel for moving in space and knack for finding his way into the end zone is worth investigating. Sure, some of his success was probably tied to Tennessee’s scheme. But players don’t have that kind of success in the SEC without having real NFL skills.
10. Jarquez Hunter (Auburn)
And here’s one more back who thrived against SEC competition. Hunter knows his way around a rotation based off the success he had early in his Auburn tenure and also has the strength and balance to power through arm tackles. Like some of the other backs above him, he might not profile as an every-down back but could fill a gap like the one the Titans have.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ranking top 10 NFL draft RBs, from Ashton Jeanty to Cam Skattebo, more
