Moving on From Chubb
With the fourth pick in the second round of last night’s NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Quinshon Judkins out of Ohio State. This was their second pick of that second round. Their first pick was linebacker Carson Schwesinger, a linebacker out of UCLA.
The Browns made this move at running back due to long-time franchise running back Nick Chubb suffering a gruesome leg injury in week two of 2023. This leg injury was a major concern for the Browns as it held him out for the remainder of 2023 and 8 games in 2024. Chubb has been a staple of the offense since he was drafted in 2018 out of Georgia.
The Browns have become accustomed to really good production out of the RB spot in recent years, as Chubb. He rushed for 1,000 yards in just about every year before that gruesome 2023 injury (just 4 yards short in his 2018 rookie season). His decline seems inevitable, and the Browns decided it was time to draft his replacement. With Chubb still being a free agent, it is sad to see this very good career with one team slowly deteriorate before our eyes. While Ian Rappoport says the Browns’ talks with Chubb are ongoing, it now seems unlikely with the selection of Judkins.
The Browns have craved production out of the running back spot ever since that day. Jerome Ford had a couple of very nice weeks for us fantasy managers, but he never could give us that consistent production we hoped for. In basically a full season, he only rushed for just over 800 yards in 2023. This is not the type of production we are used to seeing from a running back in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, going all the way back to his time in Minnesota with Dalvin Cook.
Fit in Cleveland
Moving on to Judkins and the fit in Cleveland. We know one thing about the Browns… If you were sent to Mars on a 20-year mission, and you landed back on Earth… The world would have changed a lot, but it would be safe to assume that the Cleveland Browns have not yet figured out the quarterback position. The case would remain the same here today. They did not select a quarterback in the first two rounds of the draft, and it does not seem like they will. It looks like they will use their draft capital they gained from Jacksonville in the Travis Hunter trade to draft one next season in a much deeper class.
Cleveland’s offensive line has deteriorated over the last few years. The reason is that they traded a lot of draft capital to acquire Deshaun Watson a few years ago. It is well documented how horrible a move that has been and will continue to be, so I will not get into it. They have an opportunity to bring in some flyer guys late in the draft here on Saturday to hopefully acquire some depth on the O-Line. Their offensive line is not one to be very concerned about, but it has not gotten much better in recent years, which is something to consider when thinking about Judkins’ future success in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Browns had the worst offense in the NFL last season, scoring 15.6 points per game. I do not need to tell you how horrendous it was. It was fun to watch Jameis Winston throw 5 touchdowns and 5 picks nearly every time he touched the field, but to no avail. Deshaun Watson is out once again after re-tearing his Achilles, Winston is backing up Russell Wilson in New York, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson is now the third-string quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. So, who do they have at quarterback?
Well, the Browns signed Joe Flacco, who provided so much magic two years ago for them in a playoff run. Kenny Pickett, who it feels like may be his last stop. They also drafted Oregon quarterback, and College Football ‘25, the video game perennial Heisman trophy winner, Dillon Gabriel. This is an interesting cast of characters that could prove to be fruitful heading into this season.
So what does this mean for Judkins? Well, Judkins has a much better cast heading into 2025 than the Browns did in 2024. This is not a roster where you will see pro-bowlers all over the field, but considering the dumpster fire that was last season, this roster has some promise. Especially if Jerry Jeudy’s breakout last season helps former Blue Hen, Joe Flacco, push the ball down the field for one last ride.
Can He Replace Chubb at the Top of the Fantasy Draft Board?
Chubb was a mainstay in the top 18 of Draft boards for the last five years before last season. An elite fantasy running back that Kevin Stefanski was able to scheme into a 1,000-yard season after a 1,000-yard season. Judkins can continue that trend. The best part about Chubb’s performance each season is that Stefanski would give him his touches in the red zone, and he would always have good returns on touchdown equity in his play, with a few seasons over ten and never under 8 (when healthy).
Judkins has a similar frame to Chubb – Judkins is two inches taller. He has a great combination of speed and power, which is perfect when trying to succeed the great Nick Chubb. His ability to get by or shake off defenders is not to be denied. He is not afraid of contact and loves it. The best way I would describe his game is if he had Madden’s X-Factor ability of “Wrecking Ball” on at all times.
He can get caught in the long run, his quickness is more like that of a Le’Veon Bell with a quick first step. This is different than that of a burner like Jahmyr Gibbs. Judkins is going to be a very good player in the NFL. You can see that in the draft capital that was being used on him. This is quite the investment. He is one of the more overall athletic players in this draft.
Due to him splitting time at Ohio State last season on their National Championship run, his stats are not eye-popping. BUT if you watched the playoffs, you will know that he was the running back used in crunch time to spell a lull in the offense, over TreVeyon Henderson. He had 5 total touchdowns in the College Semi-Final and the National Championship at Notre Dame.
Fantasy Drafting
It is still very early in the Fantasy Football Draft season, but on Underdog, he has an ADP of 71. Which is a high investment for the third rookie running back selected in the class. If you get stuck with a zero-RB build, I would not hesitate to take him in the 6th round. The issue with him is the game script, even more than Ashton Jeanty as I mentioned in the article for him. Flacco, likely, although I hope, will not have a magical run for the Browns in 2025, and they may lose a lot… again. They have acquired a lot of talent for their already talented roster, but the quarterback situation is not positive.
I expect Judkins to be a solid back-end RB2/RB3 this season, similar to guys like Tony Pollard, D’Andre Swift, and Brian Robinson Jr. This is due to the barren wasteland that is their current backfield and the draft capital used on him.
Dynasty
In Dynasty, he is a top-6 pick. I think it is a very tough call between his Ohio State backfield mate, TreVeyon Henderson, because I believe the situation is much more positive. However, I think Judkins is the better talent. It remains to be seen, but do not be uncomfortable drafting him at the top. Even if the situation in Cleveland does not get better, we have seen Nick Chubb be productive on very bad Browns teams.
