NFL Rookie Breakout Trends: Top 2025 NFL Draft Prospects to Target in Fantasy Football Drafts

February 23, 2025

Which 2025 NFL draft prospects to target in fantasy football drafts? Rookies to target include, Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton, Colston Loveland, and Brashard Smith.

The 2025 NFL Draft has quite a few intriguing prospects, many of whom can be directly compared to players who are already in the league, or at least archetypes that are generally successful. There is a suite of skills at all the offensive skill positions that help players succeed at the next level.

They vary by the positions, of course, and not every player needs to fit the same mold to succeed. However, looking at their college production and tape, and identifying the ways they can beat defenders and gain yardage or do other things they're tasked with, can help you build a picture of how they'll be utilized in the league.

Let's break down a few players that fit the NFL mold at their positions.

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

To absolutely no one's surprise, Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty fits the mold for a breakout season in year one. He's the consensus RB1 in a very deep class and could have broken Barry Sanders' NCAA record for most rushing yards in a season if he hadn't sat out the fourth quarter in some games this season.

He's viewed as one of the best RB prospects in years and has shown that he can handle a large workload. At the running back position, volume is incredibly important, and RBs who average 15-20 or more touches per game are incredibly valuable assets for fantasy managers. They can usually be started reliably, knowing that they'll always have a chance to put up big numbers.

Ashton Jeanty is incredible at turning negative into positive on his runs, a big reason why he had 2,600 rushing yards in 2024❗️ pic.twitter.com/dgivH7Ir9U

— Andy 🏈 (@CUandyy) February 16, 2025

Whichever team drafts him will likely hope to immediately give him a big role. Though many NFL backfields are committees where the work is distributed, rather than having a "workhorse" RB1, it doesn't make much sense for a team with a solid established RB1 to draft Jeanty.

The landing spot will matter, but elite RB prospects drafted to teams that intend on using them very heavily are usually safe bets. There are a few teams, like the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys, who didn't have good RB production last season and would greatly benefit from Jeanty's presence.

ASHTON JEANTY CAN FLY. 💨

70 yards to tie the game!

📺 Peacock | @BroncoSportsFB pic.twitter.com/8MoQOoJaro

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 8, 2024

He should be on the field a lot. The majority of offensive snaps in formations that feature an RB should have Jeanty. Additionally, he's a good threat in the passing game. Workhorse RBs who can catch passes and turn them into positive gains most of the time are a great safety valve for the offense, potentially bailing them out of bad plays.

So yeah, Jeanty should be good.

Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton is another back who has both the talent and durability to immediately step into a big role. He has ideal size, measuring 6-foot-0 and tipping the scales at 220 pounds. Yet he has fantastic acceleration and solid top-end speed despite the extra bulk.

Omarion Hampton’s contact balance is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/PROQKDD9wh

— NTB_43 (@NTB_43) February 13, 2025

He's built like a tank and can absorb big hits from opposing defenders while still remaining upright. He's also pretty elusive and has a solid juke move and cutting ability in general. While he doesn't have the speed to hit home runs consistently in the NFL, that's not as important for running backs as the other traits he possesses.

NFL offenses aren't designed to try to get the RB to score on every play. While it's always nice to break off long touchdowns, realistically that doesn't happen consistently in most backfields. There are other ways they help their teams win, such as by keeping drives going, picking up first downs, consistently setting their teams up for third-and-shorts, and keeping the clock moving to dominate time of possession.

#UNC RB Omarion Hampton vs. Wake

35 carries for 244 yards (career-high) and his only TD came on this hurdle. He now has 100+ rushing yards in 8 straight games. pic.twitter.com/e4yWAN2kCu

— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) November 18, 2024

His size and strength also make him an ideal option at the goal line. He should be the primary back in short-yardage situations for his new team. Hogging all the backfield touchdowns for a team can make a player fantasy football dynamite. Just look at Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams, who got basically all of them last season. On another note, Hampton is solid, yet not highly developed as a route-runner and pass-catcher.

This means his landing spot will be very important. If he goes to a team with a solid and already established receiving back, fantasy managers in PPR leagues could be frustrated with a lack of targets. Still, it's probably better for his team to develop him in the passing game, because often it's more about having the ball in a good player's hands than worrying about how they run slant routes.

Brashard Smith, RB, SMU

Southern Methodist University running back Brashard Smith is one of the more underrated prospects in this year's draft cycle. There's plenty to get excited about regarding his game, though. Smith is a converted WR, so in PPR leagues, he already has intriguing upside. If he lands in an offense that decides to use him correctly, he should have plenty of added upside catching passes.

Brashard Smith #Canes #Smurfs

Imagine Smith, now an RB, aligned so he can draw an LB or S in the NFL on a fade route...

- Sudden head fake
- Wipe counter
- Fades to boundary but owns space from sideline
- Good tracking and catch#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/uCBe4EidsS

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) January 31, 2025

It's strange to see him not thought of way more highly by the fantasy football community. He's still able to run great routes as a WR and can make circus catches while possessing plenty of great RB skills, like great speed and acceleration, good vision, great spin and juke moves, and good open-field elusiveness.

SMU RB Brashard Smith is a name that I was frankly ignorant on coming into today.

Not anymore. His tape shows an extremely versatile back who is a major threat as receiver. Very good speed & elite change of direction.

Excited for another look tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/F5naJvi0mC

— Justin Apodaca (@JustinApod) January 28, 2025

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. wasn't used as a receiver as much as he should have been, but he's also a converted WR who showed that his skills translated very well to the next level. In my eyes, Smith is just a better version of Tracy. He's more explosive, changes direction much more suddenly, and has better deep speed.

This will be the third player I harp on landing spot for, but for good reason. He needs to go somewhere that's willing to have him run wide receiver routes, both from the WR spots in the formation and out of the backfield, and willing to try getting the ball in his hands in creative ways.

Leveraging these parts of his game will boost his PPR upside considerably. It seems unlikely that he'll immediately step into a big role, and instead be part of a committee. That should be reflected in his ADP when draft time comes, though. Targets are worth more than carries, and a catch is the same as a 10-yard run scoring-wise in PPR, though. Keep that in mind.

Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

Specifically for tight ends, the most important thing they can do for fantasy football is to be great route-runners, especially considering their extra size, weight, and strength when compared to wideouts. That's exactly what Michigan Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland possesses – an impressive ability to separate due to his route-running ability and explosiveness out of breaks.

TEs that fit this mold are very difficult coverage challenges for defenses. Defensive backs typically do not have the size and strength to compete with tight ends, who usually weigh above 240 pounds, which is usually at least 40 pounds heavier than defensive backs. And while linebackers are bigger and stronger, it's very difficult for them to cover traditional routes.

Time to start pushing some propaganda, Colston Loveland is a prototype of the ideal NFL Tight End pic.twitter.com/F91MoRlpx3

— Josh 〽️ (@UMFanJosh) January 15, 2025

Loveland is 6-foot-5 and weighs 245 pounds. He simply shouldn't be moving like that at his height. And while WRs who can make contested catches are often praised for their ability to hang on to passes through contact, being much bigger and having more muscle is much more helpful in consistently winning on passes when defensive coverage is tight.

It's more reliable to have the length and strength to extend and snag balls away from the defenders' reaches than to try to hang on to a ball as a defender is hitting the pass catcher's hands, arms, or body. Loveland's yards-after-catch ability is also impressive.

Everyone seems to be on the Tyler Warren hype train…

So somebody needs to show some ‘love’ to Colston Loveland!

Dudes a BALLER!

Personally I think he’s the best receiving TE in the class…

And still remains my TE1! 🔥

pic.twitter.com/Q5B7ihuuBj

— Matt FF Dynasty 🏈 (@MattFFDynasty) February 12, 2025

Generally, if you take the best route-running tight end of each class, you'll get the most productive one in the NFL if their situation allows it. Loveland won't need to develop nearly as much as Penn State TE Tyler Warren in this respect, so it wouldn't surprise me if the Michigan product is the higher fantasy football scorer at the end of the 2025 season.

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