Kareem Hunt helped the Kansas City Chiefs survive injuries to their running back room this season. The team needs to replace his production in the offseason. Fortunately, the 2025 NFL draft features one of recent history’s deepest pools of running back talent.
Kansas State Wildcats standout D.J. Giddens isn’t an elite athlete compared to other members of the 2025 class, but his vision ranks among the best. He finds small cutback lanes and gaps, which gives his running style a high floor. He excels at locating space and possesses a natural feel for run lanes.
Giddens displays nice patience waiting for the hole to develop before quickly breaking downhill. His contact balance helps him battle through tackle attempts, and he churns his legs through contact to finish plays falling forward. Giddens approaches football with a physical mentality. He finishes runs by welcoming contact along the sideline instead of ducking out of bounds.
DJ Giddens is smooth for a back listed at 6'1 212 pic.twitter.com/j33oGpuLVH
— Joe DeLeone (@joedeleone) October 17, 2024
Hip stiffness limits Giddens’ dynamic athleticism, but he gets creative with head and shoulder fakes, sudden sidesteps and spin moves. Giddens’ legs generate enough lateral explosiveness to evade defenders in the hole with jump cuts. He makes a surprising number of defenders miss tackle attempts in space despite his limited explosiveness.
Giddens’ powerful playstyle doesn’t feature the acceleration and top speed to break away and finish game-changing runs in the end zone. He lacks the twitch to create space for himself when hit in the backfield early in the play. Giddens runs a limited route tree and dropped several accurate passes in 2024.
Giddens lacks the explosiveness and speed teams look for in top selections, but he’s a high-floor prospect who provides reliable production. Giddens could slide into the fifth round as teams chase more dominant athletes, but that makes him the perfect value selection for the Chiefs.
