“going to go really high”: CFB analyst predicts bright future for Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins

Ohio State Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins was a big part of the Buckeyes' national championship run last season. He was crucial to the team's success, especially in the national championship game against Notre Dame, where Judkins had 11 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He also added two receptions for 21 yards and a TD.

Following the championship win, Judkins decided to forgo his final season of NCAA eligibility and declare for the 2025 NFL draft. As a result, Judkins went to the NFL combine in late February and had some good performances.

College football analyst Anthony Schlegel spoke about Judkins' impressive performance on "The Bobby Carpenter Show" on Saturday.

"Q boom, he ran a 4.48. I say all this because let's not forget, guys, that they played a national championship on January 20," Schlegel said. "OK, so you have to go train for the combine because you had to take a week, so you had basically three and a half to four weeks max that you're preparing to do this. Like getting the starts and all these different things.

"They're good enough, right. So then he goes and he jumps 11 feet. Guys, 11 feet. That's amazing, that's amazing. That is 100% power into the ground, one of the great (performances), had an 11-foot broad jump. Just, Q had great numbers, Trey had great numbers, and they're both gonna go really, really high."

The other player Schlegel referred to was Quinshon Judkins' teammate, running back TreVeyon Henderson.

Quinshon Judkins could be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft

The most dominant running back in college football this past season was Boise State's Ashton Jeanty. He fell less than 30 yards short of breaking the single-season rushing record. As a result, there is a chance that he could be a top 10 pick.

Running backs are typically not valued as highly in the draft as other skill positions by NFL teams. The primary reason for that is running backs have much shorter careers than QBs and wide receivers.

So, it would not have been surprising if Jeanty was the only running back to get drafted in the first round. However, three other running backs have emerged after late-season performances and good NFL combines who have the chance to squeak into the first round: UNC's Omarion Hampton, Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins and Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson.

Nothing is guaranteed for those three players, but they have all played well enough to earn a first-round selection if a team likes them.