The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year award race was as loaded as ever with Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr, and Brock Bowers all having legit cases to win the award. But what was noticeable about last year’s race was the absence of running backs. That shouldn’t have been a big surprise considering Jonathon Brooks was the first back drafted and that didn’t happen until the middle of Round 2.
But the 2025 NFL Draft was one of the best running back classes in recent memory with two going in Round 1 (Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton) and 25 being drafted altogether. Jeanty is the favorite to take home the Offensive Rookie of the Year award this season, but don’t rule out another running back stealing some of his thunder in the AFC.
Quinshon Judkins in a perfect spot to win OROY with Browns in 2025
In a recent article by Beckett Mesko of Pro Football Focus, he explained why he believes Quinshon Judkins of the Cleveland Browns should be one of the favorites to win the Rookie of the Year award. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the former Ohio State star and his production coming out of Columbus:
"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."Beckett Mesko, Pro Football Focus
Mesko compared the combine numbers from Judkins to Nick Chubb and they are shockingly similar, but Judkins is even a tad more explosive. While it’s too big of a stretch to compare Judkins to Chubb, they were both early second-round picks who had to share the workload in college with another top-40 selection (Sony Michel, TreVeyon Henderson).
The Browns are expected to lean heavily on the run game as they have a lot of uncertainty at quarterback. Whether it’s Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, or one of the rookie quarterbacks under center, we should expect Kevin Stefanski to lean heavily on his rookie running backs. Cleveland had just 391 rushing attempts last season (the fifth fewest in the NFL), but we should see that number go way up this year with Stefanski taking more control of the offense.
Judkins is built to handle a big workload, and his explosiveness should allow him to hit home runs at the next level. During his three-year college career at Ole Miss and Ohio State, Judkins averaged 5.1 yards per carry, and he's always been a touchdown machine, scoring 50 touchdowns in 42 contests. It remains to be seen how effective the offensive line will be for the Browns this season, but Cleveland does have one of the league’s best interior offensive lines and a top-tier run scheme.
For Judkins to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, he likely would need to rush for over 1,200 yards and double-digit touchdowns. That doesn’t feel like too big of a stretch considering the number of touches he is set to receive this year. Will that be more than Jeanty or any of the other running backs in this class? That remains to be seen, but it's not hard to envision Judkins posting those numbers given his situation.
While Judkins might not be the favorite to win the award, he’s a pretty good sleeper who could provide a ton of value to NFL bettors. Don't be surprised if he outperforms all of the running backs in this class in Year 1.
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