Eagles draft: Is the team set at running back, or will it look to add more to a crowded room?

Welcome to one of the more boring Eagles positional draft previews of the cycle.

That’s probably not a great way to pull the reader in, but running back might be the non-specialist position with the least amount of intrigue and fewest holes for the Eagles heading into the draft.

They have the reigning offensive player of the year, Saquon Barkley, under contract for the next four seasons. They also have depth behind him in the room — even after Kenny Gainwell signed with Pittsburgh — in AJ Dillon, Will Shipley, Avery Williams, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Lew Nichols.

But a crowded room doesn’t mean the Eagles won’t use one of their picks on a back, especially in a year that offers plenty of value at a deep position. Here’s a look at some of the class.

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If Travis Hunter didn’t play both offense and defense, Jeanty would have been this past season’s Heisman Trophy winner. The 21-year-old won just about every other award a running back could win, though, after leading the country in rushing yards (2,601) and scoring 30 touchdowns in 14 games.

Jeanty rushed for seven yards per carry and uses his 5-foot-8, 211-pound frame to his advantage. He runs with power and speed and has strong balance to withstand contact. Combine those with his catching skills and other abilities and it’s easy to see why he could be off the board within the first 10 picks of the draft.

There were zero running backs selected in the first round of the draft last season, but one year prior, both Bijan Robinson (eighth) and Jahmyr Gibbs (12th) were first-round picks. Hampton might not go as early as Gibbs, but the 6-foot, 220-pound back is climbing up mock drafts.

Hampton was third in the nation in rushing yards (1,660) and was a more than capable receiver with 38 catches for 373 yards. Like Jeanty, Hampton brings power and speed. He ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at the combine and his 1,026 rushing yards after contact were third-most in the country.

That’s TreVeon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who were 1A and 1B for the Buckeyes in 2024, though Judkins got 194 carries to Henderson’s 144.

Both will likely be selected in the second round.

Judkins’ explosiveness was on display at the combine, where he was the only running back to hit 11 feet in the broad jump. He tied for the second-fastest 10-yard split (1.51 seconds) among all backs and had the third-highest vertical jump (38½ inches).

Henderson, meanwhile, is regarded as a pretty elite pass catcher and has shown plenty of burst between tackles.

Skattebo became the first Division I FBS player to have 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards since Christian McCaffrey did it in 2015. He scored 21 rushing touchdowns and had three touchdown receptions.

Skattebo was a workhorse for the Sun Devils, who rolled over Iowa State in the Big 12 title game behind three Skattebo scores and reached the College Football Playoff.

What makes him a wild card? It’s the lack of eye-popping athleticism that makes projecting Skattebo so difficult. He’s a powerful runner and has proved difficult to tackle. But his straight-line speed isn’t all that impressive. How much does that matter? We’ll find out.

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Skattebo could fall into this category if he slips. The Eagles probably wouldn’t be shy about adding a player of his caliber.

The Eagles reportedly used or will use one of their 30 predraft visits on a running back, and so we’ll start with him:

The Eagles had a meeting with Blue at the combine and he told SEC Network after his pro day that he was going to visit the Eagles.

It’s speed that shines when watching the 5-9, 196-pound back. He ran a 4.38 at the combine but was clocked as low as 4.28 during his pro day. That’s pretty fast. It would’ve been the fastest time at the combine.

On the opposite end of the spectrum for Blue, who turned 21 in January, is his inability to consistently keep the football with him. He fumbled five times over the past two seasons. But Blue also has a weapon of catching the ball out of the backfield. He had 42 catches for 368 yards and six touchdowns.

There may be concerns about his limited production in college, since 2024 was his first real season of consistent touches, but the Eagles might find a lot of value in adding another player who has blazing speed in open space and who can turn any touch into a touchdown. They just might have more pertinent positions to target before Blue goes off the board.

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Tuten ran the fastest 40 at the combine at 4.32 seconds. He has a similar profile to Blue at 5-9 and 206 pounds. In a normal draft, he might have no shot at slipping to the third day, but there are a lot of good running backs.

Tuten being a local doesn’t hurt. He ran for nearly 4,000 yards and 77 touchdowns at Paulsboro High before playing his first two college seasons at North Carolina A&T.

Like Blue, Tuten brings a ton of home-run potential every time he’s on the field.

Back to South Jersey we go for Allen, who was a Gatorade player of the year at Millville High in 2021, when he ran for 1,903 yards on 229 carries and 26 touchdowns.

Allen is all over the place when it comes to his rankings and projections, which may be due in part to his age. Allen won’t turn 21 until August.

But there’s a lot to like about Allen’s game, especially his pass-catching ability. Syracuse used formations that had Allen both in the slot and out wide in addition to his usual spot in the backfield. He doesn’t quite have the explosiveness that others in the draft have, but he’s a versatile player with a lot of potential who is probably worth taking a flier on late in the draft.