The 2025 NFL Combine kicks off in the final week of February, and our preview series of the event continues, with this installment focusing on a handful of running backs who should be on the radar of Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes.
The running backs will participate in on-field activities on Saturday, February 28, a day that will also feature this year’s quarterback class (a group we have already featured in this series) and wide receivers group (coming soon).
Team need
While the Lions have all four running backs from last year’s active roster under contract, there is some speculation surrounding David Montgomery’s future in Detroit. Montgomery entered the offseason hoping to be a more consistent part of the game plan, which seemed like a potentially tough ask with the rising star Jahmyr Gibbs in the RB1 role. However, things are certainly trending in a positive direction of late. During the Super Bowl media week, Montgomery gushed about how he and Gibbs could be a “special” duo, and then, Lions’ new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing raved about Montgomery during our interview with him this week.
Regardless of what happens with Montgomery, the Lions likely wouldn’t consider drafting the position until Day 3 of the draft, and our prospect suggestions below will reflect that.
What to watch for
When scouting running backs, there are a handful of traits that scouts will key in on:
- Explosiveness out of breaks
- Foot quickness: How quickly they accelerate through cuts
- Balance through the hips
- Reaction timing, decision making
- Passing game contributions: Ball location; how natural they are at catching the ball.
- Here’s an example of Jahmyr Gibbs in the “Duce Staley drill” from the 2023 NFL Combine. Notice his elite foot quickness, zero wasted movement, and perfect balance. This is teach tape for executing this drill.
Prospects
Washington is a power runner who doesn’t avoid contact; he simply lowers his shoulder and tries to punish defenders. He gets downhill in a hurry, accelerates out of gaps at the line-of-scrimmage, shows good straight-line speed, and is surprisingly agile for a big back, showing that he’s comfortable working through traffic. His pass protection is solid—but could use a bit more consistency—and he’s a reliable outlet in the passing game. Arkansas ran a balanced blocking scheme, but he appeared to produce more in gap-based concepts.
Clairborne is a speed back who wins with athleticism and vision. He hits top speed in a hurry and is tough to catch once he gets in space. His foot quickness is elite, but he stays under control, leading to good contact balance, the ability to use his whole body during cuts, and the ability to reach max speed quickly. Kick return skills will also make him appealing to NFL teams. Wake Forest ran a near-even balance of zone and gap schemes, but outside zone suits his skill set best.
Singleton has an appealing blend of size, speed, and athleticism. He has good vision and pad level at the line of scrimmage, NFL-level burst through gaps, and routinely finds the right cutback lanes. In the open field, he’s more of a straight-line runner and lacks the change-of-direction skills needed in a starting back. His reliable hands and ability to make tough catches make him an immediate option as a third-down back, and his three years of experience as a kick returner will help him find multiple roles as a rookie. Penn State primarily used an outside zone blocking scheme for Singleton, but he has the range to play in a gap scheme as well.
Note: Unfortunately, Singleton broke a bone in his foot at Senior Bowl practices, which will prevent him from participating in on-field drills at the Combine.
Allen is a downhill power runner who breaks tackles, has terrific contact balance, and produces a lot of yards after contact. At the line of scrimmage, Allen shows good vision and patience waiting for gaps/cutbacks to open, but is a single-speed runner with limited explosion or burst. While not much of a creator in space, he is very dependable and consistently moves forward, gaining positive yards. He also has special teams value at multiple spots. Penn State primarily ran gap concepts when Allen was on the field, but his skill set translates to any blocking scheme.
Taylor is a compact, explosive back who uses his vision to press the line of scrimmage and find the correct cutback lane. While his long speed is adequate, he’s a tough target to tackle because of his lateral movement and willingness to challenge defenders. With experience in the Wildcat and potential as a returner, Taylor has the intangibles to earn a depth or rotational role. Virginia primarily used an outside zone blocking scheme with Taylor as their lead back.
Hemby is a downhill, one-cut runner who attacks gaps at the line of scrimmage with effort. He’s more of a strider in space than a burner, and while he isn’t going to make defenders miss with his change-of-direction skills, he has good contact balance and is among the best in this class in generating yards after contact (YAC). With plus receiving skills and strong ball security, the National Champion may be best in a third-down role on offense, while also contributing on special teams. Indiana ran a balanced blocking scheme, but Hemby seems to be more successful in outside zone.
As a former wide receiver, Randall looks more like an H-back than a running back, but his downhill mentality and agile foot movement confirms he can work out of the backfield in the NFL. When working through the line of scrimmage, he runs high and presents a hittable target, but in space, he has speed that’s difficult to get proper angles on. As a pass catcher, he’s silky smooth, and no surprise, is among the best in class for the position, but his pass blocking needs to be better to carve out a third-down role. With just one year of starting experience, he needs polish, but he’s got a lot of tread on his tires and immediate kick-return potential. Clemson ran a balanced blocking scheme, but he found more success running behind gap concepts.
At West Virginia, Donaldson was the primary back, but after transferring to OSU, he was used in a platoon and primarily as a short-yardage, goal-line, and power option. While this role didn’t highlight his range, it does likely resemble his projected role in the NFL. He’s not a breakaway runner, but he has a nose for the end zone—he scores a touchdown roughly every 10 carries—decent hands, and blocks at the NFL level. OSU ran a balanced blocking scheme, but Donaldson is most productive in gap concepts.
While typically grouped with the fullbacks in this draft class, Navy listed Heidenreich as a “slot back” and lined him up all over the offense: running back, fullback, wing back, H-Back, inline, split out wide, and in the slot. In 2025, he ran the ball 77 times, while also making 51 receptions, finding a plethora of ways to produce in Navy’s gap-based blocking scheme and in multiple phases on special teams.
Bredeson, brother of Bucs’ guard Ben, is more of a traditional fullback/H-back and is one of the best blockers available: his 85.2 run blocking grade from PFF is the highest amongst all running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends in this draft cycle. Additionally, he didn’t allow a single pressure in pass protection in 2025 and only allowed four pressures over his five-year career at Michigan. With experience in fullback, H-back, and tight end roles, he’d be an easy player to get involved in 21 and 13 personnel concepts. Bredeson was the hammer in Michigan’s balanced blocking scheme, but he’s most effective when blocking in gap-based concepts.
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