Ranking top 5 NFL rookie running backs by who will be most productive in 2025: Ashton Jeanty leads the way
Which running backs can make the biggest impact in their first NFL seasons?

Two highly touted running backs were taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft -- Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton -- and while the Raiders ball-carries will assume feature back duties immediately, we can't be so sure about the former North Carolina star in Los Angeles in Year 1.
Thanks mostly to Jeanty, the presence of Hampton, and the Ohio State backs, this rookie group at running back is much more highly anticipated than the 2024 class.
So let's rank the top five running backs strictly based on who'll be most productive in 2025. Below the picture box for each running back is the official rookie-year stat projection from the CBS Sports Fantasy Football team.
5. Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars
- CBS Sports Fantasy Football projection: 139 carries, 577 yards, 5 TDs
Tuten was my No. 2 back in the 2025 class -- I adored his blend of breakaway speed, lateral bounce, and contact balance. I really don't know why he was a fourth-round pick. Maybe it was the nine fumbles in two seasons at Virginia Tech.
He does have Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby ahead of him on the depth chart, but I don't believe it'll take much time for Tuten's polished and dynamic talent to lead to a leap on said running back pecking order.
Teams will be focused on limiting Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter in the pass game -- Tuten should receive ample carries with light boxes, and all it'll take for this rookie to create splash plays is to cleanly get to the second level. He has 4.32 speed and a 40-inch vertical.
4. Omarion Hampton, Chargers
- CBS Sports Fantasy Football projection: 180 carries, 701 yards, 6 TDs
I was lower on Hampton than the masses during the pre-draft process -- he's more old-school runner than the new-age types I prefer with side-to-side wiggle. He's classic in every sense of the way. At nearly 6-0 and 221 pounds, he has traditional size, and he's playing for a coach in Jim Harbaugh who's as committed to the classic philosophy than any other in the NFL.
Now, the Chargers did sign Najee Harris in free agency. He's going to eat into Hampton's touches in Year 1. Without question. I do think Hampton's juice -- 4.46 speed -- and the fact he was a first-round pick in April will ultimately lead to him assuming No. 1 back duties in Los Angeles right away.
3. R.J. Harvey, Broncos
- CBS Sports Fantasy Football projection: 170 carries, 727 yards, 5 TDs
Comparable to the exquisite nature of Bo Nix as a fit for Sean Payton in 2024, Harvey is the prototypical back for the veteran head coach's offense. At UCF, despite his small stature, Harvey pinballed between the tackles outstandingly, yet was known for his big-play ability on the outside and in the screen game. On more than 220 carries in each of the past two seasons, Harvey eclipsed 1,400 yards with insane efficiency -- he averaged 6.3 and 6.8 yards per carry in each campaign.
At 5-8 and 205 pounds, he's thick yet explosive -- as evidenced by his 4.40 time in the 40-yard dash and 38-inch vertical at the combine. The Broncos have Jaleel McLaughlin who plays with a similar style to Harvey, but the Broncos spent a Top 60 pick on the former UCF back, and he's more naturally talented. I expect Harvey to serve as Denver's full-time feature back by November at the latest.
2. TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots
- CBS Sports Fantasy Football projection: 192 carries, 909 yards, 5 TDs
Henderson is a modern-day back coaches dream about, because of his three-down flexibility. He's a rock in pass protection, runs hard with plus cutting skill between the tackles, and, his speciality, generating huge plays as a receiver out of the backfield.
Plus, the Patriots used a Top 40 selection on Henderson entering Year 2 of the Drake Maye era. At 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, Henderson, ran 4.43 at the combine after averaging 6.4 yards per tote across four seasons in a low-ish volume roll with the Buckeyes -- there's still plenty of treads on Henderson's tires.
Everything about his game indicates the rookie is ready to produce like a veteran instantly in the NFL, and he will on what should be a more efficient Patriots offense in 2025. And his coach, Mike Vrabel, did spend years leaning on a Derrick Henry-led ground game in Tennessee.
1. Ashton Jeanty, Raiders
- CBS Sports Fantasy Football projection: 273 carries, 1,115 yards, 10 touchdowns
There's part of me that wishes I could provide an outside-the-box selection here. But I care much more about being right than different. And Jeanty has all it all. From his talent to his situation in Las Vegas, he is going to assert himself as one of the best running backs in football right away, in Year 1.
You've read all about Jeanty's skills -- he's fast, rugged, and runs with tremendous power through contact. I don't think enough is being made about his offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, who is a madman in the run game, and got magnificent collegiate production at Oregon from the likes of Kenjon Barner, LaMichael James, and all those backs at Ohio State last season. Don't let me forget about Joshua Kelly and Zach Charbonnet at UCLA either.
Jeanty is currently the betting favorite to win the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The uber-talented Jeanty is going to be a focal point of the Raiders completely revamped offense in 2025, en route to finishing as the most productive rookie runner in the NFL.