The New England Patriots have not expended a draft pick on a running back since 2022, when they took Pierre Strong Jr. out of South Dakota State in the fourth round. It was hardly a high-impact draft pick. Strong had all of 10 carries in 2022 for 100 yards â though he did score a touchdown â before New England shipped him to the Cleveland Browns after just one season.
The year before, the Patriots had better luck when they took Rhamondre Stevenson out of Oklahoma in the fourth round. Stevenson has been the Patriots staple ball carrier ever since, rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 2022 and over 800 last season.
The Patriots skipped on taking a running back in 2020, after selecting Damien Harris in the 2019 third round and, in the first round in 2018, Sony Michel. Before that, the Patriots went all the way back to 2014 without drafting a running back. That year, they selected James White out of Wisconsin in the fourth round.
Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel Targets Runner
In short, the Patriots have not been enthusiastic about using draft picks on running backs, but they may reverse that tendency in 2025 when new head coach Mike Vrabel has been open about his desire to add a new runner via the draft.
“Having a good young runner is something that potentially we would like to do,” Vrabel said a the NFL Owners Meetings this week. “I thought the guys coming back, I think Rhamondre and (Antonio Gibson) obviously were a good one-two punch. …We’ll look to add good young players on offense and skill players.”
According to Olivia Clearly, Oregon Ducks reporter for SI.com, the Patriots have their eye on a “sleeper” in the draft this year â Oregon’s 21-year-old Jordan James, who rushed for 1,267 yards in 2024, and in 2023 led the Pac-12 in average yards per carry with 7.1.
The Patriots have already held a meeting with James, when they attended Oregon’s pro day earlier this year, according to Cleary.
Jordan James: Ball Security Specialist
“New England lead-back Rhamondre Stevenson had ball security issues last season, fumbling the ball seven times in the 2024 season. This could make James an intriguing prospect, as he excels in ball security, never fumbling once throughout his college career,” Cleary noted.
Stevenson put the ball on the ground seven times in 2024, with 14 fumbles in his four year career. As Cleary noted, James did not fumble the ball a single time in 386 carries for the Ducks in his college career.
James would likely be a mid-round pick, with most projections placing him somewhere in the third-to-sixth round range. But even as a second or third-day pick, the Patriots are predicted to have competition if they want to target James in the draft.
“The Minnesota Vikings are another franchise in search of a reliable running back. While Aaron Jones provided help, the teamâs overall rushing attack ranked in the bottom half of the NFL last season, averaging just 109.1 rushing yards per game,” Cleary wrote.
If the Patriots wanted to use their fourth-round pick on a running back, as they did the last two times they took one one in the draft, they would have the advantage over the Vikings. The Patriots own pick No. 106 in the fourth round.
The Vikings have no selections in Round Four and in fact their next pick does not occur until No. 139, the first pick of the fifth â a pick they acquired from Cleveland in 2023 in a trade for picks in Rounds Six and Seven along with pass rusher Za’Darius Smith.
The Vikings previous pick comes at No. 97, in the third round.
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