Devy Diamonds: Quinshon Judkins
Welcome to Devy Diamonds: Quinshon Judkins was a 3 star prospect from Pike Road High School in Pike Road, Alabama. He had multiple Division-I offers before committing to Mississippi in 2021. After two seasons with the Rebels he decided to enter the transfer portal. In January of 2024 he committed to play at Ohio State.
Quinshon Judkins brought the storm with him his freshman season. In the SEC, as a true freshman, Judkins ran for 1,567 yards averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Plus, he had 15 receptions for 132 yards.
He slowed down his sophomore year, but he still had a dominating campaign. In 2023 he ran for 1,158 yards averaging 4.3 yards per carry. On a brighter note, he had 22 receptions for 149 yards. Through his first two collegiate seasons he has a total of 34 touchdowns.
2024 Outlook: What to Expect
After dominating the SEC for two seasons, Judkins decided to transfer to the BIG10. He was the unquestioned RB1 for Mississippi. Entering his first year at Ohio State he should be the RB1, but that is not a guarantee. He should start, or at least see majority of the snaps while competing with returning Buckeye Tre’Veyeon Henderson. But Henderson is one of those running backs that may shine more with less. There is a world where Judkins receives more snaps, however, Henderson has the better numbers. Either way Judkins now joins a team where he is no longer the bell cow back. His tape is great to watch, and all signs point to Ohio State having a heavy rushing attack this season under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Judkins has yet to see a season below 270 rushing attempts. It will shock me if receives over 200 this upcoming season. Nonetheless, his contact balance and footwork should still help him have a season of production.
Strengths:
- Shoulders down type of runner and willing to take contact versus anybody.
- Contact balance. Judkins runs with strength. If his feet do not shed the tacklers then his stiff arm will.
- Excellent footwork. Judkins utilizes his elusiveness to elude would-be-tacklers from bringing him down in one-vs-one situations.
- Initial burst out the gate is superb. At the snap he is a threat with ability to explode out of the backfield.
- Juggernaut. He is easier to take down early. DO NOT let him gain any sort of momentum.
Areas of Improvement
- Pass protection. Although he can pick up the blitz occasionally this is an area where he could be more effective.
- Breakaway speed. He has a great initial burst, but he is not going to take the top off defenses as much.
- Impatient runner. He gets to hole quickly, but at times he can wait for his blockers to get into position to gain more yards.
Draft Stock: Eligible 2025
Consensus Projected Draft Capital: First Round prospect
Personal Projected Draft Capital: First Round prospect
Ideal Landing Spot: Dallas Cowboys
I believe next year there is potential to see two running backs go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Quinshon Judkins would be the first one off the board. The only thing stopping him would be if Tre’Veyeon Henderson refuses to give any grasp to the lead back role. But talent tends to shine when given opportunity. Judkins is one of the more talented backs in college football right now. Even in a timeshare, something we have not seen Judkins in yet, he should be able to have a productive season.
Personally, I believe if he has under 1,000 yards rushing than his yards per carry need to be at least 5.2 or higher. Now talent should speak louder than statistics. However, in the running back landscape we live in today statistics plus talent may increase a players draft capital. If Judkins does not get the production he wants than it is possible that he stays in college for another season. He will likely still be the RB1 of the 2026 class, but another year means more tear on his body. That is something that can deflate any running back’s value. Regardless of what happens at the end of the season Quinshon Judkins is a player to watch as one of the new Buckeyes.
Speaking of a team fun to watch, this season the Dallas Cowboys might be scrambling all season to find a decent running game. The Cowboys will likely be running some sort of committee backfield. Their most experience runner is Ezekiel Elliott, a running back that was remarkable in his first six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, that tear on a running backs body has caught up to him. Over the last two seasons Elliott has ran for a career low 3.6 yards per carry. They do have other running backs like Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn. None of them have yet to make an impact at the NFL level.
This leads me to Quinshon Judkins. Many, including myself, thought the Cowboys would draft former Texas running back Jonathon Brooks to beef up their backfield. If not Brooks then they for sure would have drafted former Florida State running back Trey Benson. They passed on both. Looking back it kind of makes sense. They trust Ezekiel Elliott enough to have some impact for their running game. Plus, the Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb connection was top notch last season. On another hand, the running back class of 2025 is looking much stronger than the class of 2024. Quinshon Judkins will likely lead the class as the consensus RB1.
Fantasy Impact
Quinshon Judkins will be an RB1 for your team. The benefit about him joining Ohio State is we get to see how he does in a timeshare type of backfield. We are seeing more and more teams adapt to a committee type of backfield. Judkins will demand carries. But does that not mean he will not have any competition at the next level. (Unless he goes to the Cowboys because he can beat out anybody on their roster right now) We have already seen he is more than capable of being a bell cow type of back. I expect this to lead into the NFL. This means as a rookie it is possible Judkins has anywhere between 200-250 rushing attempts if not more. His skillset already makes him look like an NFL back playing at the college level. He will be a high demand next year especially after a weaker running back class. If I were doing the 2025 rookie drafts today I would take Judkins as a top 5 pick overall. Honestly, I think the argument can be made to have him as top 3 pick overall.
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