It is a strange time for Dynasty rankings, less than a month before the 2025 NFL Draft. The options for rankers are both bad. One is to rank the rookies at your best approximation of where they will rank after the Draft. The other is to wait until after the Draft to add rookies to the rankings. Because the combination of draft capital and landing spot plays an important part in my Dynasty rankings, I have chosen the latter approach, even if I find it dissatisfying.
To try to ease some of that dissatisfaction, I am doing something new this April. I am adding the top rookies at each position to my Dynasty Tiers. While this is still a bit of guesswork, tiers are by their nature easier to project so I have added Ashton Jeanty, TreVeyon Henderson, Omarion Hampton, Quinshon Judkins, Devin Neal, and Kaleb Johnson amongst others to the Dynasty Running Back Tiers below.
My top 12 rookie running backs for Dynasty are now in the tiers below, and I’ll give some thoughts on the top six in just a moment. But first I want to offer a reminder: This may be the best running back class in the last decade. Even my top six is not set in stone, not close. There may be a dozen more running backs in this class who could crack the top 12 after the draft. This position is more dependent on draft capital and landing spot than others, so don’t get too upset if you don’t like where your favorite back is tiered. If the NFL agrees with you then I will move them up.
Ashton Jeanty – Tier 1
I’m not going to break any news here, but Jeanty is the consensus 1.01 in all rookie drafts this year and he’ll be in the conversation for RB1 overall when he suits up for his first NFL game. He can do it all, and if he lands in a good offense with a clear opportunity he may just be a Round 1 pick in redraft as a rookie. But this is where the clarity with this class ends.
TreVeyon Henderson – Tier 3
Omarion Hampton – Tier 3
Quinshon Judkins – Tier 3
There are people who will argue for all three of these backs as the number two back in the class and even a few who believe Hampton deserves to be ranked or drafted ahead of Jeanty. I could see an argument that Judkins is the best rusher of this trio, Henderson is the best pass catcher, and Hampton is the most complete back. Ultimately, Draft capital will separate this trio, or not. My current expectation is Round 2 for all three. If one of them creeps into Round 1, they will likely be the consensus RB2 in this class and may join De’Von Achane in Tier 2.
Devin Neal – Tier 4
Kaleb Johnson – Tier 4
These are the two other backs I am hoping will be drafted on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. Admittedly, I am higher on Neal than consensus. I love his big play ability and hope the NFL agrees. But I also admit it’s possible that he could be a Draft Day faller, and I will adjust if that’s the case. Johnson’s performance at the combine knocked him out of the tier above, but we downgraded Bucky Irving due to combine results and you know how that worked out.
The rest of the backs tiered below I anticipate will be Day 3 picks. But again, I want to reiterate that this position, after Jeanty at the top, may be the most volatile in my tiers pre-draft.
Here are my updated Dynasty Running Back Tiers:
