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Quincy Milton projects and ranks all 32 starting NFL running backs for the 2025 season. From Saquon Barkley to Tyrone Tracy Jr., see where your favorite running back falls.
Running backs were once viewed as the crown jewel in the NFL. The position seemed to almost die in recent years until Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley displayed the value of a high-end running back in 2024. They seem to have spurred renewed interest in the position moving forward.
With perhaps the best running back draft class in recent memory on its way into the league, it is going to be an exciting year for the position. Rookies and veterans alike should experience success throughout the league.
Of course, running back is heavily dependent on the offensive line and scheme. We cannot get overly excited about these players but projecting starters is always a fun exercise. With free agency in full swing, expect an updated power rankings once team's have settled in. Let's dive in and see where everyone stands at the moment.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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1. Saquon Barkley - Philadelphia Eagles
The reigning Offensive Player of the Year is back fresh off a Super Bowl victory. Saquon Barkley just logged his first 2,000-yard season and could not stop breaking off touchdown runs outside of 60 yards. This guy is squarely in the driver's seat at the position heading into 2025.
There’s a very strong argument that this Saquon Barkley run in the snow is the most iconic moment in Lincoln Financial Field history pic.twitter.com/MjsZofkUBE
— NBA Slime (@TerryFranconia) February 24, 2025
2. Derrick Henry - Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Henry is the man who never ages. Henry just ran for nearly 2,000 yards in his age-30 season. He showed no signs of slowing down and is a clear fit in Baltimore. Look for Henry to repeat his success in 2025. The question is whether Henry can elevate the Ravens to a championship this season.
3. Jahmyr Gibbs/David Montgomery - Detroit Lions
David Montgomery is the starter in name alone but we all know who the star is in this backfield. Jahmyr Gibbs is entering his prime fresh off a certified breakout campaign. Hopefully, these two backs can keep up the production even without stellar offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is now the head coach in Chicago.
4. Bijan Robinson - Atlanta Falcons
Bijan Robinson seems poised to take the league by storm. After a strong second half of 2024, Robinson is on the cusp of a full breakout season. With Michael Penix Jr. slinging the rock in the second year of the Raheem Morris era, look for the Falcons offense to take flight in 2025.
5. Christian McCaffrey - San Francisco 49ers
Christian McCaffrey was very recently the king of the position. However, to be the king, you must have a large workload and that workload finally caught up with McCaffrey in 2024. Now entering his age-29 season, McCaffrey will look to reclaim the top spot as the best running back in football.
6. Jonathan Taylor - Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor will return to Indianapolis after showing the league what we know him to be capable of in 2024. Taylor rushed for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games last season. No matter who the quarterback is, Taylor is in a great position to repeat that feat.
7. James Cook - Buffalo Bills
James Cook cemented himself as a top-tier running back with a monster 16-touchdown 2024 season. Cook is now rumored to be looking for an extension to match. Either way, he should be right back in the fold as Buffalo's top running back this coming season.
8. Kyren Williams - Los Angeles Rams
People do not seem to want to believe in Kyren Williams but all he does is produce. He has scored 26 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons and he is a quality pass-catcher. Williams will return and should not worry about Blake Corum stealing any of his work.
9. Bucky Irving - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucky Irving has cemented himself as the starting running back in Tampa Bay. Irving displayed excellent quickness and burst during his first season in 2024. With a quality back in Rachaad White in place to spell Irving, hopefully Irving can stay healthy and hold up to a likely increased workload for a whole season in 2025.
10. Josh Jacobs - Green Bay Packers
Josh Jacobs will return to carry the load in Green Bay's backfield in 2025. After another huge season in 2024, Jacobs' workload is certainly adding up. Hopefully, his bill of good health continues to stick. The Packers offense ran through Jacobs in 2024. Unless drastic changes are made to the wide receiver room, expect more of the same in 2025.
11. James Conner - Arizona Cardinals
James Conner was extended in 2024 and will return as the starter for at least the next couple of seasons. He is the heartbeat of the Cardinals offense and is being rewarded as such.
12. Chuba Hubbard - Carolina Panthers
Although the Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks in 2024, they extended Hubbard, and Brooks tore his ACL again. Hubbard had a career year in 2024 with 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns. The former fourth-round pick has carved out an excellent NFL career thus far.
13. Chase Brown - Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals seem to have found themselves a gem in Chase Brown. After Zack Moss went down due to injury, Brown stepped up. The guy is a touchdown machine and does everything you would want your starting running back to do. Brown is unlikely to continue scoring at a high rate, but he is still going to be a very productive back in 2025.
14. De'Von Achane - Miami Dolphins
Achane led a Dolphins running back room that took a step back in 2024. After a hyper-efficient rookie season, Achane's yards per carry plummeted from 7.8 in 2023 to 4.5 in 2024. If quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy for a full season, Achane should remain productive. However, he is a cautionary tale against giving running backs too much work.
15. Ashton Jeanty - Denver Broncos
Ashton Jeanty has been heavily mocked to the Cowboys and the Broncos but Jerry Jones wouldn't pass up on another talent to draft a running back in the first round, right? Right? Either way, Jeanty is a great fit for Sean Payton, who loves to deploy quality backs in his offense. It would be perfect for Jeanty to go from one Bronco squad to another.
Getting real tired of people acting like Ashton Jeanty is just another ‘dime a dozen’ caliber RB.
He is probably the best RB prospect since LT.
— CJ (@Th3GhostRaider) March 2, 2025
16. Alvin Kamara - New Orleans Saints
Although Alvin Kamara is geriatric by running back standards, the Saints extended him in 2024 to lower his cap hit. Kamara is squarely entrenched as the starter and seems to still have quality football ahead of him. He is not the efficiency monster he was in the past, but Kamara should be a solid starter once again in 2025.
17. Breece Hall - New York Jets
Breece Hall was supposed to be the next big thing in the NFL. He has never fully lived up to the hype due to injuries and a revolving door at quarterback. If the Jets can get their signal-caller right in 2025, perhaps Hall's potential can be unlocked.
18. Joe Mixon - Houston Texans
Joe Mixon will return as the starter in Houston after a quality 2024 campaign. Unfortunately for Mixon and the Texans, Mixon seemed to run out of steam late in the season and his production fell off a cliff. Mixon is not getting any younger, so it would behoove the Texans to add some youth to the backfield to spell him.
19. Tony Pollard - Tennessee Titans
After offseason questions surrounding the true starter in Tennessee, Pollard silenced the media and took the backfield by storm over Tyjae Spears. Pollard rushed for a career-high 1,079 yards in 2024. He will look to repeat in 2025.
20. Kenneth Walker III - Seattle Seahawks
Kenneth Walker III has had trouble staying on the field during his young career. He has played in 42 of a possible 51 games in three seasons. Walker is an electric player and the Seahawks certainly need him. On the bright side for Walker, this coaching staff seems to think very highly of him and will continue to provide him with more chances.
21. Omarion Hampton - Los Angeles Chargers
If the Chargers pass on Omarion Hampton in the first round in April, then they would have to move up in the second to grab him. However, he feels like a dream for head coach Jim Harbaugh. Hampton has excellent contact balance and high-end speed and size. Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman would salivate over a prospect like this.
The day for Omarion Hampton —
40: 4.47
Vert: 38”
Broad: 10’10”At a rocked up 221 lbs. pic.twitter.com/9lWApbe9Ex
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 1, 2025
22. TreVeyon Henderson - Dallas Cowboys
We know the Cowboys are likely to draft a running back in 2025, it is just a matter of who. TreVeyon Henderson could step right into the starting role in Dallas. Perhaps the Cowboys will swap out their old Ohio State running back in Ezekiel Elliott for a new one.
TreVeyon Henderson is a RB I haven’t talked about much but I’ve always loved.
Pro comp is Jamaal Charles with a chip on his shoulder. His explosiveness is SPECIAL. pic.twitter.com/EKkYawvhyN
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 18, 2025
23. Isiah Pacheco - Kansas City Chiefs
Isiah Pacheco was a very exciting prospect in 2024. He was entering his first season as the unquestioned starter. A broken fibula changed the plans for Pacheco, who never recovered fully even once he returned for the playoffs. Pacheco will be the starting running back once again and the hope is that a full offseason will allow him to hit the ground running in 2025.
24. Kaleb Johnson - Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have a solid offensive line in place and likely do not want Jaylen Warren to carry a full workload. Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa could be a younger and more athletic version of Najee Harris for this team. At 6-foot and 225 lbs, this kid is a monster running back.
25. Aaron Jones - Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are in win-now mode. With Jones still playing well, they elected to bring him back for two more years. Jones' presence in the locker room cannot be underestimated, either. He will need a running mate, but this seems like a win-win for both sides.
*Update: Aaron Jones has re-signed with the Vikings.
26. Najee Harris - Las Vegas Raiders
Free agent Najee Harris will likely be looking for a new home in 2025. While he has never missed a game and has produced four straight 1,000-yard seasons, Harris has not been the difference-maker the Steelers drafted him to be. He should fetch a decent price on the open market and there is nothing new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll likes more than a big, bruising back.
Seems like a lot of people are misreading Najee Harris on this NFL free agency market.
You can’t just go by his raw stats on the Steelers. Their run blocking wasn’t great and their entire offense sucked. Terrible playcalling, terrible personnel.
Najee is durable, reliable, a… pic.twitter.com/nMwJwkjPht
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) February 18, 2025
*Update: Najee Harris has signed with the Los Angeles Chargers
27. Jerome Ford - Cleveland Browns
Jerome Ford has quietly been a steady producer throughout his career. With Nick Chubb due to test free agency and the Browns having holes all over the offense, Ford may find himself as Cleveland's starter once again.
28. D'Andre Swift - Chicago Bears
While the Bears will likely add to their backfield, D'Andre Swift figures to at least open the season as the starter in 2025. Swift was no world-beater in 2024, but he was playing behind a porous offensive line that allowed 68 sacks on quarterback Caleb Williams. However, Swift will certainly need to improve upon his 3.8 yards per carry if he wishes to keep his job.
29. Rico Dowdle - New England Patriots
Rico Dowdle enjoyed a quality end-of-season run with the Cowboys in 2024. The Patriots do not seem sold on Rhamondre Stevenson and could bring in free-agent Dowdle to compete for the job. Dowdle is not elite, but he brings quality traits that could hold down the fort at the position for the Patriots for a couple of seasons while they build up the rest of their offense.
30. Brian Robinson Jr. - Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson Jr. has been a quality first- and second-down running back in the NFL. He is entering the fourth year of his career with solid touchdown-making ability and decent hands. The Commanders could opt to add to the running back room, but they have several more pressing needs that could make them hold tight with Robinson for one more season.
31. Travis Etienne Jr./Tank Bigsby - Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are another team with a legitimate running back committee, but this one is not as high-end as the Detroit Lions. The Jags are heavily invested in Travis Etienne Jr., having picked up his fifth-year option. Bigsby has much less draft capital but figures to also play a role. Both players will likely be given this season to see if either has enough juice to be the starting running back of the future.
32. Tyrone Tracy Jr. - New York Giants
As a fifth-round pick in 2024, Tracy likely did enough to stave off the Giants' addition of a quality starter. However, the Giants will likely add competition to this backfield. If Tracy can build on his solid rookie season, he could entrench himself as the starter in New York.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. turned heads last year 🔥
Who's next? 👀 pic.twitter.com/U0TovXeOc9
— New York Giants (@Giants) February 26, 2025
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