2025 Rookie Running Backs Post Historic 246-Yard Week

The 2025 rookie running back class entered the 2026 season with high expectations after setting a post-merger record for single-week rushing yards in September 2025. That momentum has since stalled, as the group combined for just 246 rushing yards in Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season.

This total represents the lowest single-week output for the class to date. The production gap is stark when compared to Week 4 of the previous year, when first-year backs rushed for 737 yards, the highest total by a rookie group in a September week since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Since that initial surge, the class has surpassed 600 collective yards in a single week only once.

Injuries have disrupted the rhythm of several top prospects, leaving undrafted free agent Corey Kiner as the leading rusher from the 2025 class in Week 6. Kiner served as the third-string option for the Patriots before emerging as the primary ball carrier for that group. The absence of healthy starters has forced teams to rely on backups or younger players who are still developing.

Ashton Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick by the Raiders, has struggled to translate his preseason hype into consistent production. Through the first 1.5 seasons, Jeanty has averaged 3.5 yards per carry on 372 attempts. He ranks last among backs with at least 150 carries since the start of 2025 in expected points added per attempt, a metric that stands at minus-0.27. His success rate is 32.8%, and he has generated a league-low minus-16 first downs over expectation.

The Raiders' offensive line has offered little protection, with Jeanty being hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on 47.2% of his carries in 2026. Despite an improved coaching staff under Klint Kubiak, Jeanty has failed to create big plays, recording only five rushes of 10 or more yards on 105 attempts this season. His short-yardage conversion rate stands at 45%, the worst mark among backs with at least 20 attempts in that situation since 2025.

Omarion Hampton of the Chargers has faced similar obstacles, averaging 3.6 yards per carry in a rotational role with Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell. Hampton has lost two fumbles and maintains a success rate of 37.5%, below the league average of 39.4%. Ankle injuries have limited his availability, including a two-month absence in 2025 and a limited role in the playoffs.

The class's struggles are not universal, but the volume of underperformance has lowered the overall ceiling for the group. With the season progressing, the gap between the early hype and current production remains a defining feature of the 2025 cohort's first two years in the league.