The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl practices begin on Friday, Jan. 24, and in the lead-up to the event, we’re breaking down some of the top players at each position group. The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to be interested in running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, and in a deep running back class, there’s no shortage of talent that will be in Dallas next week.
Tahj Brooks – Texas Tech
Age: 22
Height/Weight: 5-9, 230 pounds
Brooks emerged as one of the best running backs in college football in 2023, when he finished fourth in the nation with 1,538 yards. Brooks added 10 touchdowns that season, and he followed it up with an equally impressive campaign in his super senior season in 2024, running for 1,505 yards and 17 touchdowns. Projected as a mid-round selection, Brooks did not play in Texas Tech’s Liberty Bowl loss against Arkansas, but he ran for over 100 yards in every game he played in during the ’24 season.
Brooks did miss the early part of the 2024 season with an arm injury that he suffered in August, but he managed to play in 11 games in 2024. As a receiver out of the backfield, Brooks had 20+ catches in each of the last three seasons, and he had 102 catches for 548 yards in his collegiate career.
A three-star recruit in the class of 2020 per 247Sports, Brooks might be the best running back in Dallas next week and someone to keep an eye on.
Montrell Johnson Jr. – Florida
Age: 22
Height/Weight: 5-11, 216 pounds.
A transfer from Louisiana, Johnson has shared a backfield every season he’s been at Florida. He logged 162 carries his freshman year at Louisiana but hasn’t had more than 155 carries in any season at Florida, nor has he put up 1,000 yards in a season. But he’s been efficient, with a career 5.4 yards per carry, including a career-high 5.9 yards per carry in 2024. He had over 800 yards in his first three years in college, but in 10 games in 2024, he had 593 yards on 100 carries.
Johnson also a nose for the end zone with 33 career touchdowns, including 12 during his freshman year at Louisiana and 12 his sophomore year at Florida.
Johnson entered college as a three-star recruit in the class of 2022. He suffered a knee injury in August 2024 which caused him to miss time at the start of the season this year. That’s why he only played in 10 games. He’s currently projected to be a Day 3 pick.
Phil Mafah – Clemson
Age: 22
Height/Weight: 6-1, 230 pounds
Mafah’s coming off his most productive season at Clemson, running 216 times for 1,115 yards, his first season eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark. He had a productive sophomore campaign in 2022 with 98 carries for 515 yards and four touchdowns, but really burst onto the scene his junior year when he scored 13 touchdowns and ran for 965 yards in 2023. After sharing a backfield with Will Shipley, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, Mafah took over as Clemson’s RB1 in 2024.
One of the knocks on Mafah is his lack of consistency. After starting the season strong, he finished with 55 carries for 134 yards over his final five games. The late-season swoon bumped down his draft stock a little bit, and after potentially being thought of as a mid-round selection, he now profiles as a late-round pick. But he’s shown he can perform at a high level, and the measurables are good for an NFL running back.
He was named to the Doak Walker Award watchlist before the season as one of the nation’s top running backs. A strong showing in Dallas could help boost his draft stock.
Corey Kiner – Cincinnati
Age: 22
Height/Weight: 5-9, 210 pounds
A transfer for LSU, Kiner was one of Cincinnati’s only bright spots the last two seasons. He ran for 1,047 yards and five touchdowns as a junior in 2023, and then 1,153 yards and four touchdowns in 2024. Kiner hasn’t contributed much as a receiver, with his 16 catches in 2024 his collegiate high, and he has just 32 in his college career. That limits his upside when it comes to the NFL, especially as a smaller back.
While Cincinnati lost their last five games of the season en route to a 5-7 finish, Kiner ended the year on a strong note with over 110 rushing yards in each of their last three games. In a deep running back class, Kiner is probably going to wind up being a Day 3 selection or a potential undrafted free agent, but as a four-star recruit per 247Sports who ran for 320 yards as a true freshman at LSU in 2021, there’s some pedigree there and he played well at Cincinnati.
If he can prove he can be a receiving threat at the next level in Dallas, he could rise up some draft boards.
