Cleveland could target a running back as early as day 2 in the 2025 NFL Draft
The Cleveland Browns are officially operating in offseason mode, evident by the firings of OC Ken Dorsey and OL Coach Andy Dickerson. Though their top priorities this offseason will be to fix the quarterback and offensive line situations, running back won’t be too far behind on that list.
Nick Chubb is currently set to become a free agent soon and the team obviously wants to keep him around. However, there’s no telling how effective he’ll be over a 17-game season after coming back from a horrific knee injury and a broken foot.
Assuming that Kevin Stefanski either takes back full control of the offense or at least puts himself into a Co-OC role with someone else, the RB position will be getting a bigger piece of the pie in terms of overall importance this offseason.
The running back position in Stefanski’s wide zone scheme is crucial to the incremental success of each play. It’s very important to have at least two guys who can be difference-makers at the position i.e. Chubb and Kareem Hunt in 2020-2022.
It stinks to say this but as of right now, Nick Chubb isn’t the type of player that he used to be based on what he showed in 2024. Yes, the offensive line debacle is a big factor in it but Chubb didn’t show the type of burst or “wiggle” that he did prior to the injury. Nobody’s blaming him for that but in regard to the overall success and effectiveness of the offense going forward, Cleveland needs to look at other options this offseason.
Seeing that the running back position in the 2025 free agency cycle is fairly weak besides Aaron Jones, they’ll likely need to find another day-one contributor in the NFL Draft.
Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty will obviously be gone by the time the Browns are ready to grab a running back but it’s reasonable to say that they might look to use one of their two 3rd-round selections (#67/#93) on one.
A few guys that seem to be good fits for Cleveland in this area are Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson, Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton, and Kansas RB Devin Neal.
OSU RB TreVeyon Henderson’s acceleration is BONKERS.
He would look great in a #Browns uniform. #NFL #NFLDraft #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/ULwnEub59T
— Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) December 21, 2024
All three of these players, along with others depending on rankings and player movement could be solid contributors for Cleveland as rookies. Depending on who else the team brings in this offseason, a rookie running back could see 100+ carries in 2025 inside a more run-centric offensive scheme.
Who are some of your favorite running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft class? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.