The 2025 NFL Draft is in the books. We now know the draft capital and the landing spots of all the running backs in this year’s class. This was a deep class with an abundance of talent. The typical rounds we hope running backs are drafted in were a bit skewed because of the depth of this class. Many RBs we would have liked to see get drafted on day two actually dropped to day three of the NFL Draft, where we saw a big run on backs in the fourth and fifth rounds. Typically, sixth and seventh round picks are to be ignored as guys who won’t likely make the team, but there are some RBs I like who were taken late and could make some noise in fantasy in the next couple of seasons.
What players are going in which rounds of rookie drafts? Who should I be targeting in each round? Who are the biggest steals of the draft? Who do I need to avoid? This article is to help you navigate through your rookie drafts, especially when it comes to the running backs currently on the board. We want to draft the best players we can at each position and not force anything if we can help it.
In dynasty, we try not to overreact to poor landing spots and completely change our rankings based on draft capital alone. That is how we get Clyde Edwards-Helaire being drafted over Jonathan Taylor or ignoring a guy like Isiah Pacheco two years ago after he didn’t get drafted until the seventh round.
Last year was not a deep running back class, causing many fantasy managers to reach at the position because of the scarcity, and in turn caused a lot of heartbreak with underperforming rookies.
Just because you need a running back, don’t just draft one when it is your turn. Look for the value in a particular round and who you might be able to get at the position in another round.
There is still a lot of time between now and the start of the NFL season, so don’t go into your rookie drafts expecting to fill every team need by the time you are done. Get the best value you can in the draft and then work trades and the waiver wire to fill other needs before the season starts.
First Round
If you are in the top half of the first round in your rookie drafts, you should probably be targeting RB as often as possible. Even if you are later in the first round there have been running backs that have dropped in particular drafts.
When Las Vegas invested the sixth overall pick to acquire Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, it all but solidified him as the top rookie in 2025. He is going 1.01 in almost every format. There are only a few times I have seen him not go in the top spot, and all of those have been in IDP formats where Jaguars WR Travis Hunter can be played as a defensive back and have his offensive stats counted as well as his defensive stats.
