College football coaches debate TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins as better NFL prospect

It wasn’t a surprise to see a run of Ohio State Buckeyes selected in the NFL Draft. What was a surprise was to see the two Buckeye running backs, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, were selected 36th and 38th overall, coming off the board within a pick of one another.

The two bring different skillsets to the NFL. So, it’s not surprising that there’s some debate from coaches about which is going to end up having the better career in the NFL.

“Henderson had a phenomenal final year, as a complete player,” a Big Ten defensive coordinator said. “His blocking was next level, and he stayed healthy, because that’s been the knock on him, his health issues. At the end of the year, you thought maybe [Henderson] might be a little bit better, but they’re both elite.”

TreVeyon Henderson spent his four-year college career with Ohio State. He had broken on the seen early with a 1,248 rushing yard campaign as a freshman. By the time his college career was all set and done, he would have 3,761 yards and 42 touchdowns on the ground. He also had 77 receptions for 853 yards and another six touchdowns.

Quinshon Judkins, meanwhile, only spent one season with Ohio State, having played for Ole Miss before that. Similarly, he had his breakout as a freshman. He would go for better than 1,000 yards rushing every season but never topping the 1,567 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns he had as a freshman. At least one NFL coach pointed to that film as a defense for him and why he could be great himself.

“Judkins, his Ole Miss film was better than his Ohio State film,” an NFL running backs coach said. “Put on Ole Miss versus Alabama or Ole Miss versus LSU, it’s different.”

Judkins ended up being the first of the two Ohio State running backs selected. He went to the Cleveland Browns where he became one of two running backs who they’d select in the 2025 NFL Draft. He’ll join a Cleveland roster that already has Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong already on the roster.

Henderson, meanwhile, was taken by the New England Patriots. He was one of several offensive players the Patriots selected in an attempt to rebuild that side of the ball around quarterback Drake Maye. That includes three offensive linemen to try and bolster the offensive line. New England already has Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, and Terrell Jennings on the roster.

It remains to be seen which running back has the better NFL career. One thing is clear, though, and that’s that both are capable of thriving at the next level.