From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins.
No. 1 QUINSHON JUDKINS, RB, OHIO STATE (JUNIOR) — 6000, 219 POUNDS
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Quinshon Judkins | 6000/219 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
THE GOOD
-Thick, compact frame with impressive power coiled up
-Refuses to go down on first contact, fights for every blade of grass; rarely brought down by one defender in space
-Plays with good tempo and burst; embodies “slow to, explode through” mantra
-Good contact balance, able to remain upright through contact to lower half
-Able to get skinny, slip through smaller gaps without losing speed
-Has good feel for position in the passing game; willingness as a blocker and has ability to make plays through the air
-Consistent production across the board at two different programs
THE BAD
-Lacks the elite-level speed to finish explosive plays; gets caught too often at the tail end of runs
-Does not have a second gear in space; what you see is what you get
-Technique in pass protection is a work in progress; doesn’t explode into contact like he does as a runner, ends up catching and holding
-Tends to search out contact too much in the run game; vision gets clouded at times, causing him to miss cutback lanes
-Quite a bit of wear and tear across three collegiate seasons; 42 career games, 739 carries, 59 receptions (20 touches per game)
BIO
-First-team All-SEC running back in 2023 who transferred from Ole Miss to Ohio State for the 2024 season
-Named a freshman All-American in 2022 at Ole Miss
-In two years at Ole Miss, accumulated 2,725 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns on 545 carries; added another 37 receptions for 281 yards and three touchdowns
-Split time with TreVeyon Henderson in lone season at Ohio State, accounting for 1,060 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 194 carries helping the Buckeyes win the national championship
-Rushed for six touchdowns in four playoff games, scoring two touchdowns each against Tennessee, Texas and Notre Dame
-During time at Ole Miss, tied former NFL RB Deuce McAllister’s program record with 14 career 100-yard games
-True junior who was an honor roll student in two years at Ole Miss; majors in human development and family services
-Former three-star recruit who chose Ole Miss over the likes of Notre Dame, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Penn State, Tennessee
-Turns 22 at the end of October
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Coming off a second straight first-team All-SEC selection at Ole Miss, Quinshon Judkins made a shocking decision last winter. He entered the transfer portal and made the jump to Ohio State, joining a crowded backfield with TreVeyon Henderson in Columbus.
That move ultimately paid off as Judkins had another 1,000-yard season with some impressive showings in the Big Ten while helping lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. Alongside Henderson, Judkins was able to lessen his workload some, getting him better suited to enter the NFL coming off his junior season.
A guy who will hit the 10+ yard run time and time again (14.7% of his college runs went for 10+ yards), Judkins doesn’t have that true home-run speed to consistently hit explosive plays, which could be a knock against him entering the NFL.
That lack of long speed showed up time and time again on tape. He’d just run out of gas on runs.
This run against Notre Dame in the national championship game is a good example of that. Judkins explodes out of the gates and hits the cutback lane, ripping through the heart of the Fighting Irish defense. But right around the 35-yard line you can see him just lose all juice on the run.
It was still a 70-yard run, which is impressive, but he was brought down at the 5-yard line, keeping him from capping the explosive run.
Similar thing here at Ole Miss in 2023 while taking on the LSU Tigers.
Judkins has the burst to get into space, but he’s not going to run away from guys. He just simply doesn’t have the foot speed.
While he’s able to consistently create 10- and 20-yard runs, he just doesn’t have that final gear to finish them most times.
That said, he did do just that against Marshall in 2024, taking one 86 yards for the score.
That’s a good finish there from Judkins, even if he did get caught by the defensive back at the very end, causing him to stumble into the end zone.
While there are going to be concerns about his long speed, there should be no questions about his ability to make defenders miss, and to do so with impressive power.
Here on a 3rd and 2 on against Northwestern with a blitzing safety getting a free run at him, watch how Judkins discards him with ease.
That is just remarkable.
Looks a little bit like Najee Harris here, doesn’t he? To have that type of power coiled up in that frame is very intriguing. Judkins can be a hammer between the tackles and can really wear defenders down.
His stiff-arm is quite potent, too, which he showed in the national championship game to make it a 14-7 game.
A compact, powerful frame with that type of contact balance is really intriguing.
Judkins has some wiggle in tight, too. He can make defenders miss in a phone booth with jump cuts. He did so against Penn State earlier in the year and then in the big game against Michigan.
Neither are big-time runs, but you can see the lateral quickness in tight that Judkins has. He possesses the wiggle and the lateral explosion to make defenders miss in tight quarters, and his vision can lead him to the open field in these instances.
The run against Michigan showed his power, too.
As a receiving back, Judkins wasn’t asked to do much in college outside of swing routes, checkdowns and screens, but late in the 2024 season in Ohio State OC Chip Kelly’s offense he showed a good feel for finding space. In the national championship game, he showed heady stuff breaking his route off and extending vertically into the end zone before catching a 6-yard TD pass from Will Howard.
That will play on third down at the next level, assuming he is able to continue to improve in pass protection and keep developing into an every-down guy.
CONCLUSION
With three straight 1,000-yard seasons at power programs in Ole Miss and Ohio State, Judkins is the total package entering the NFL. He’s a bowling ball of hate in the run game, one who loves to dish out punishment between the tackles, whether that’s running through defenders or tossing them aside with a mean stiff arm. He doesn’t have great long speed to cap explosive runs, but the fact he can generate explosive runs consistently across three seasons in college is noteworthy.
Judkins isn’t much of a receiving weapon and has some issues in pass protection, but he’s flashed enough there to be a developmental three-down back at the next level. He’s at his best in a zone scheme where he’s one cut and running north-south. His power and consistency are real calling cards. He’s a hard runner who can wear down defenses, and he has some juice to his game.
I just worry about Judkins’ long speed at the next level and his inexperience and inconsistency in the passing game as a receiver and pass protector. He reminds me of Kareem Hunt a bit with his power and physicality, though Hunt was a better receiver coming out of Toledo.
Projection: Late Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 7.7 Potential Starter/Good Backup
Games Watched: LSU (2023), Marshall (2024), Penn State (2024), Michigan (2024), Northwestern (2024) Notre Dame (2024)
