Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins will make his NFL debut against the Baltimore Ravens, but what can real-life and fantasy football fans expect from the second-round pick? Selected with the 36th-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Ohio State product faced legal issues throughout the offseason and only recently signed his rookie contract. While a suspension could come at any moment, he is set to play and potentially win a starting job on a wide-open depth chart.
What to Expect From Quinshon Judkins In NFL Debut
While he will play in Week 2, nobody should expect Quinshon Judkins to be anything more than a depth piece in the matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. While the rookie is a talented player, he only began practicing on Thursday. Adjusting to the NFL is a herculean task, and asking Judkins to handle a featured role with minimal prep time is probably asking too much.
However, don’t be surprised to see him inherit a larger role as the season progresses. Veteran Jerome Ford and fourth-round rookie Dylan Sampson split work in Week 1, and neither player did anything to steal the starting job. They weren’t liabilities by any stretch of the imagination, but a talented player like Judkins has the raw talent to overcome these two on the depth chart.
If and when he wins the starting job, he will probably be an above-average starter, but not a superstar. Judkins is a hard-nosed, physical runner who can break tackles at will but lacks the vertical speed to break off long plays. Additionally, he’s not overly elusive and typically relies on going through defenders, rather than around them. This approach worked in college, but he might struggle to outmuscle NFL linebackers in the trenches.
Once again, he has the vision and raw strength to succeed in the NFL, but it’s hard to envision him becoming a top-five or top-10 running back. He’ll be good, but he probably won’t be great.
Main Photo: Jeff Lange – Imagn Images
