Senior Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter is a player who has yet to garner major NFL Draft buzz. After leading Auburn in rushing yards in 2023 and 2024, Hunter declared for the 2025 NFL Draft in December. His time at Auburn was characterized by impressive production. Even in 2022, while sharing a backfield with Tank Bigsby, Hunter led the Tigers in yards per carry. Despite this production, the NFL Draft is all about projection. A Jarquez Hunter scouting report helps to shed light on his pro prospects.
Overview, Film Analysis, And 2025 Scouting Report Of Auburn Running Back Jarquez Hunter
Measurables
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 209 lbs
Player Background
Hailing from Philadelphia, Mississippi, Jarquez Hunter was a three star recruit out of Neshoba High School. Hunter was a successful high school athlete, being named his state’s Mr. Football prior to his college days. Jarquez Hunter also ran track in high school. An accomplished 100-meter dash runner, the speed from his track background certainly benefits him on the gridiron. Out of the 19 offers he received, Hunter committed to Auburn in 2021 after being recruited by former Tiger, Cadillac Williams. This decision proved fruitful for both parties. The game Hunter was able to display on film certainly shows a skillset that can translate to the NFL level.
Strengths
The first thing that jumps out on Jarquez Hunter’s tape is his decisiveness as a runner. On inside zone runs, Hunter does not hesitate to commit to a lane, and hit it with ferocity. He has a great feel for the field, and knows when to cut runs to the back side. Auburn ran a good blend of zone and gap runs in 2024, and Hunter had success in both categories. When he makes his decision on where to run, he has great burst to hit the hole, and the power to bowl over contact in pursuit of yardage.
Another huge strength of Hunter’s is his play strength. This translates in multiple avenues of his game. As a runner, Hunter is difficult to bring down. Immense leg drive allows him to fall forward when contacted, or even bounce off smaller defenders. He is certain to be someone who can fight for tough yardage. To the pleasure of his future coaches, this strength also translates to pass blocking. Hunter is a willing and powerful pass blocker who will be a huge asset to six-man protections.
Weaknesses
Jarquez Hunter is not exactly a model prospect when it comes to lateral quickness and agility. While he has enough to hit cut-back lanes, Hunter is lacking some of the lateral ability teams are looking for on the next level. In addition to physical shortcomings, Hunter showed a tendency to default to lateral moves in the open field at the second level far too early. This would cause him to leave meat on the bone after breaking through to the second level. There also seems to be a bit of a limited route tree for him in the passing game, which could keep him off the field on third downs.
Potential Team Fits
NFL Projection
Jarquez Hunter currently projects to be a day three NFL Draft pick. His tape suggests he has much more talent than this projection, and good testing could propel him to the tail end of day two. Hunter’s tape showcases a skillset that is primed for early down NFL work. There is enough toughness, decisiveness, and straight-line speed for Hunter to immediately handle double-digit carries in an NFL game. While it may take some time for this potential to be met, there should be no surprise if Hunter outplays his draft capital early in his NFL career.
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