The NFL calendar has several landmark events that mark the progression of the NFL offseason. One of the first major ones is the annual NFL Scouting Combine. This past weekend, the NFL world descended on Indianapolis as prospects tried to solidify their draft stock through a series of medical tests, interviews and on-field testing. Naturally, this usually produces some prospects who help or hurt themselves.
I have already written about why I think the Chiefs need to target a running back in this draft class to help upgrade a rushing attack that was exposed in their Super Bowl loss. That is in large part because this is such a deep and talented draft class at the position.
Since this draft class is so deep and competitive, a back putting up great or poor testing numbers at the combine could make a significant difference in the draft order. After all, if a team had two running backs graded similarly off their film, it only makes sense that they would move the one that tests better ahead of the other.
Now, let me be clear: I don't think the players that I have on the "hurt" part of this list are bad. If anything, they could be great draft-day bargains if their mediocre testing numbers cause them to slide lower than where their college tape indicates they should be taken. I'm a firm believer that the tape is the most important part of their evaluation, but that doesn't mean that players can't help or hurt their draft stock with their testing numbers.
This help/hurt list is not a breakdown of which backs will be successful in the NFL—or even what backs I like/dislike. Instead it's an overview of which players may have seen their stock rise or fall given their testing numbers at this year's Combine.
Running backs who helped themselves at the Combine
Omarion Hampton - North Carolina - 6"0" - 221 lbs
There was no bigger winner amongst the running backs at the combine this year than North Carolina's Omarion Hampton. Hampton was already a borderline first-round pick, but coming out of the Combine, he is now viewed as a day one lock.
Despite his large, powerful build, Hampton ran a 4.46 second forty, including a 1.54 second 10-yard split that was eighth best amongst the running backs. He also had a 38" vertical (7th best) and a 10'10" broad jump (tied for 2nd best). If you add in 18 bench press reps, you have an absolute physical specimen that has fantastic tape, too. You should check out Price Carter's excellent scouting report on Hampton.
Quinshon Judkins - Ohio State - 6'0" - 221 lbs
If Hampton solidified his first-round draft stock at the combine, the back that made a case for being one of the first backs taken in the second round was Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins. Judkins was part of the Buckeye's two-headed rushing attack with fellow prospect TreVeyon Henderson, but going into the Combine, Henderson had more buzz around him. However, with the larger Judkins putting up very similar numbers to Henderson, that's a huge boost to Judkins's stock.
Judkins ran a 4.48 forty, with a 1.51 10-yard split (edging out Henderson). His 38.5" vertical was tied for 4th best, and his 11 foot broad jump was tops for the running backs. With Judkins having the build for a full NFL workload, his solid testing numbers may cause some teams to jump him to the top of the second round. I still prefer TreVeyon Henderson and Kaleb Johnson, but Judkins's Combine performance now at least puts him in the conversation.
DJ Giddens - Kansas State - 6'0" - 212 lbs
Depending on what running back draft rankings you look at, it's not unusual to see DJ Giddens's name outside the top ten prospects at the position. That's partly due to the depth of the class and partly due to Giddens flying under the radar, but that won't be the case anymore. Giddens had a fantastic combine that will now send people back to his tape (which is very good). While he likely won't be drafted as high as Hampton or Judkins, he may have bumped himself up the running back rankings as much or more than anyone else at the 2025 Combine.
Giddens ran a 4.43 forty with a 1.53 10-yard split (both good for 7th fastest at the position). His 39.5" vertical jump and 10'10" broad jump were both second-best at the position. He also was one of only a handful of backs to run the shuttle and put up a solid 4.33 second time. His Raw Athletic Score (RAS) currently sits at 9.78, which would rank 43rd out of 1,909 running backs dating back to 1987. I had hopes of Giddens falling to KC in the 3rd or 4th round, but his Combine performance may make that difficult now.
Bhayshul Tuten - Virginia Tech - 5'9" - 206 lbs
Bhayshul Tuten of Virginia Tech turned a lot of heads at the combine. His smoking 4.32 forty and 1.49 10-yard splits were the best a running back put up at the combine this year. His staggering 40.5" vertical at only 5'9" was the best at the position as well. His 10'10" broad jump was tied for 2nd. The only downside of Tuten's combine was his 4.41 shuttle time. That was last amongst the 8 running backs who did the drill—and that's .01 seconds slower than Omarion Hampton, who has 3 inches and 15 pounds on Tuten.
Tuten's fantastic overall testing numbers will definitely help his draft stock, the question is how much? Tuten's tape shows explosive straight-line speed so it's possible that his speed was already factored into his draft position, but having proven to be the fastest back who tested, could that bump him up a round or two on draft day? Will teams worry that he doesn't have the change of direction skills to match his mediocre shuttle time? Only time will tell.
Running backs who hurt themselves at the Combine
Kaleb Johnson - Iowa - 6'1" - 224 lbs
I think Kaleb Johnson entered the combine as a second-round draft pick, and I don't know that his combine performance will change that. However, it is possible that a back or two could jump him as a result. Anyone who has studied his tape wasn't expecting blazing speed from Johnson, but the question now becomes whether or not he slides behind guys like TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in the second round.
Johnson's 4.57 forty and 1.62 10-yard splits aren't deal breakers, but they certainly don't help his draft stock. The other problem is that, despite his size, Johnson wins more with his vision than he does by running over people. So, if teams don't think he's a true power back and he's one of the slower running backs in the class, could he slide a little on draft day? At some point, his proven production and tape have to make him a bargain if he does (I'm just not sure if he fits the Chiefs).
Ollie Gordon II - Oklahoma State - 6'1" - 226 lbs
Ollie Gordon II from Oklahoma State is a back a lot of people liked as a sleeper or underrated player in this deep draft class. His testing numbers at the Combine may keep him as a sleeper because they certainly didn't boost his draft stock at all. His fans will say his tape didn't show a burner, so this shouldn't hurt him as a big-bodied workload back, but in such a deep class, it could keep him from going in the first 3-4 rounds.
Gordon ran a 4.61 forty with a 1.60 10-yard split. Those were both near the bottom of the position. His 34.5" vertical and 10' even broad jump were underwhelming as well. The good news is that if you were hoping your favorite team might land Gordon in the middle rounds or later on draft day, that is starting to look more likely, and the Chiefs have already spent time with him.
Devin Neal - Kansas - 5'11" - 213 lbs
Devin Neal of Kansas is another back whose tape I like, but he didn't help himself at the combine. His 4.58 and 1.59 10-yard splits were both near the bottom of the running back rankings. That's not great for bigger backs like Johnson and Gordon, but with Neal being smaller than those two, it probably hurts his stock a little more.
Neal's jumps were a little better, with his 37.5" vertical ranking 9th amongst running backs and his 10'4" broad jump tied for 7th. I don't think Neal's combine will sink his draft stock too much, but he could see himself slide behind his in-state rival DJ Giddens on some boards.
So there you have it, Chiefs' fans. These are the running backs who saw their stock helped or hurt by their combined performance. Are there any guys you're more excited about after strong performances? Are you hoping that any of the backs who didn't test great become value picks for the Chiefs if they slide a little? Are there any running backs you think helped or hurt their stock at the combine that I didn't mention? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below.