The debate over RB and WR in the NFL Draft 2025 rages on, spurring a truly hard truth pill to swallow. Undervaluing a top talent because of his position is an egregious error.
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There seems to be a consensus forming with the 2025 NFL Draft. Two quarterbacks will be taken in the top 10, while only two other players are real blue-chip prospects. After those four players, the rest of the draft is up in the air. But should it be?
Stemming from that, no one is sure when the first running back or wide receiver (not counting Travis Hunter) will come off the board. These positions are in flux this year for a number of reasons. We’ll dive into those in a moment.
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Looking at the big picture, there are a lot of moving parts to this discussion, before even targeting individual team needs specifically at RB or WR. Let’s hit the main talking points, because the truth seems hard to swallow. 1 – Are you in favor of waiting on RB even if there may be a premiere talent at the position? 2 – Does that decision change one way or the other if the rest of the class is very deep? 3 – Does reaching for a wide receiver make sense considering its importance? Choose wisely because your job as NFL GM may depend on it.
NFL Draft Hard Truth
Todd Salem:
Let’s start with running back. The RB position has been valued lower than most other positions in recent years. Teams feel that they can find a starting-caliber RB pretty much anywhere, and they’re often right. This draft may steer teams even more in that direction, as it’s thought to be very deep at the RB position. Why bother using a day one pick on a guy when there will be six others you like available on day three?
The only exception teams would make would be for a real game-changer at the position. Think Saquan Barkley. Well, it just so happens that there is a Saquon Barkley-level prospect at the position in Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.
Many scouts mark Jeanty alongside Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter in terms of talent and only dock him for positional value. But positional value is very important, particularly in this draft class. It all goes toward muddying the waters even more than normal. How high is too high for Jeanty?
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A similar story may unfold at wide receiver, though for different reasons. Outside of Hunter, who could be drafted as strictly a cornerback, this is a weak WR class, particularly at the top. The class’ best prospect is Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, who is generally regarded as a mid-to-late first-round talent.
But now we see the opposite story of RB. Receiver is one of the premiere positions in the sport, so how far will a team reach to grab the draft’s best one? Could he force his way into the top 10, heck maybe even be taken ahead of Jeanty, simply because of scarcity?
For me, I wait on running back even in a shallower class, but especially this year. But I still would not reach for a receiver. Too many times, a highly drafted receiver flames out. The position is important, but production can’t be forced like at RB.
Thus, my own draft would probably have both Jeanty and McMillan outside the top 15. At some point, a team should pull the trigger, but I wouldn’t want to be that team.
Dan Salem:
If Jeanty is truly on Barkley’s level, or even on Breece Hall’s level for a slightly less productive and certainly more under the radar comparison, then a team needs to draft him in the first round. He will not fall past the first five picks of round two, but I personally would grab a premiere talent like his with a top 15 pick of round one. I don’t care how deep the position is in the NFL Draft 2025 or how undervalued the RB position currently is, teams with great running backs win a lot more games.
As we witness a current lull in top tier quarterbacks, the importance of the RB position is even greater to an offense. If your team does not have one, you better hope they draft the best. Now I’m not suggesting you can’t find a very good RB in free agency or later in this draft, but we are talking about drafting the best. A potential stand out talent at the position. That player, Jeanty, must be selected early, in the first half of round one. Only the teams who pass on him will regret doing so.
The decision to draft a stand out RB does not change with a deep draft, because Jeanty is truly special in this regard. New York “reached” to draft Hall in the early second round, but hindsight would tell you he should have gone much earlier. He was regarded as the best at his position that year. Positional need is team specific, but the importance of RB is growing, not shrinking, because there are not as many talented passers in the league.
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Reaching for a wide receiver never makes sense, because the sheer volume of WRs who move around in free agency is monumental. Furthermore, it’s been rare in recent seasons for a rookie receiver to make any kind of impact on his team immediately. Nabers is excellent, but did he make the Giants immediately much better? No, because they had too many holes and lacked a QB who would be throwing to him consistently.
Bottom line is that stand out players at their respective positions must be selected immediately. They are the best players available at their position and their value is higher, not lower, when there are a bunch of pretty good players behind them at the same position. Defense wins championships because controlling the clock wins games. Running the ball well ensures you control the clock. Don’t sleep on a player because the league undervalues his position. That is foolhardy.
Meet our Sports Writers:
Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.
NFL Draft Truth Bomb – This Is The End
NFL Draft Photo Credits: packers.com and foxsports.com; fox10phoenix.com via Getty Images
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