Penn State running back Nick Singleton has certainly had a difficult path to the NFL.
Singleton entered the season coming off of a breakout 2024 campaign and vying for the top of the running back rankings. He was mocked as high as 16th overall back in September. His pedigree as a highly athletic Penn State running back had some wondering if he could pass Jeremiyah Love and be the first running back off the board.
Then the wheels fell off his season and he lost the starting job amidst a lost and disastrous season for Penn State as a whole. Singleton had the chance to resuscitate his draft stock at the Panini Senior Bowl, only to suffer a broken foot in practice, which knocked him out of most of the Draft Process.
There has been talk that the New York Giants are interested in becoming even more run-heavy and want to add another talented runner to their running back room. Has Singleton’s troubled draft process turned a first round talent into a hidden gem for the Giants?
Prospect: Nick Singleton (10)
Games Watched: vs. Oregon (2025), vs. Ohio State (2025), vs. Indiana (2025), vs. Nebraska (2025)
Red Flags: Foot (2026)
Measurables
Strengths
Best traits
- Overall athleticism
- Explosiveness
- Speed
- Agility
- Quickness
- Pass catching
- Pass protection
Nicholas Singleton is an explosively athletic running back with a great combination of size, quickness, agility, burst, and long speed.
Singleton possesses the athletic traits to be a big play threat any time he touches the ball, and is the kind of player that teams look for ways to get the ball in space. He’s capable of creating chunk plays or even touchdowns any time he finds the open field and is rarely caught from behind. He also has great quickness and agility to cut sharply and is a dangerous receiver out of the backfield.
Singleton is a capable route runner who understands how to present a good target for his quarterback, flow in scramble drills, and find voids in zone coverage. His quickness and agility allow him to suddenly break off routes, as well as create big plays after the catch.
He is also a very reliable pass protector who plays with great competitive toughness as well as technique. Singleton is aggressive, stepping up to take on blockers and has the size and play strength to stalemate smaller defenders as well as “lose slow” against bigger defenders. He plays with great toughness away from the ball as well, running hard on play-action or even lead-blocking on quarterback run plays.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Vision and instincts
- Contact balance
- Foot injury
First and foremost, teams will want to look into the foot injury Singleton suffered at the Senior Bowl. They’ll want to make sure the broken bone he suffered in practice prior to the Senior Bowl is healing well and won’t be a long-term issue that lingers into his rookie year.
Singleton was unable to work out at the NFL Scouting Combine, and ideally he’ll be able to do so prior to the draft so he can give the NFL measurables to go with their tape.
On the field, Singleton doesn’t appear to be a particularly instinctive runner and mostly follows the design of the play. And while that’s not a bad thing in and of itself, he also doesn’t make the small adjustments to maximize his blocked yardage or set himself up for yards after contact. Likewise, his vision appears merely adequate and he doesn’t seem to anticipate defenders at the second or third levels.
Singleton’s contact balance also appears merely adequate. While he’s able to survive incidental contact or poor tackle attempts on the move, he’s brought down relatively easily around the line of scrimmage. He seems to go down at first contact too often, leading to a “feast or famine” running style.
Game Tape
(Singleton is the Penn State running back wearing number 10.)
Projection
Nick Singleton projects as a rotational back in a down-hill rushing scheme at the NFL level.
Singleton’s size and athleticism, as well as his ability on passing downs, suggest that he could challenge for a starting role. However, he’ll need to develop into a more instinctive rusher and work to improve his contact balance to maximize his athletic traits. He doesn’t consistently identify cutback lanes or survive initial contact around the line of scrimmage.
Singleton is the type of back who can turn a well-blocked play into a home run, however he doesn’t do the little things to be a consistent producer. That was a big reason why he lost his starting job after a breakout 2024 season. That said, Singleton may have untapped upside with better coaching at the NFL level, considering Penn State’s own inconsistency in developing players.
Does he fit the Giants? Possibly, depending on scheme
Final Word: An early Day 3 pick
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