Top Power Four running backs by receiving grade

• SMU’s Brashard Smith finishes with an elite mark: The wide receiver-turned-running back recorded a 90.8 PFF receiving grade in 2024.

• Cam Skattebo rounds out the top three: The No. 3 running back on PFF’s big board, Skattebo

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

The wealth of talent in any given NFL draft makes it all the more important to understand each player’s skill set. Here, we’ll examine the Power Four’s top draft-eligible running backs by PFF receiving grade in 2024. To qualify, running backs had to play at least 100 receiving snaps this past season.

1. Brashard Smith, SMU Mustangs (90.8)

Smith was the fifth-most-targeted back (51) in 2024. He caught 41 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns, all top-five figures. He picked up 19 first downs, forced 11 missed tackles and made four catches of 20-plus yards.

Smith earned a 75.4 PFF grade as a slot receiver (second best) with 11 catches for 93 yards. He also placed in the top 10 on conversion downs (75.3) and in the red zone (76.7). He saw nine 10-plus-yard targets and secured five for 122 yards (third most) and three touchdowns.

Smith spent his first three seasons with the Miami Hurricanes as primarily a slot receiver. He caught 54 passes in that span for 551 yards and earned a 71.2 PFF slot receiving grade.

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2. LeQuint Allen, Syracuse Orange (80.0)

No eligible Power Four running back ran more routes in 2024 (405) than Allen. He led the position group in targets (78) and catches (64), gaining 529 yards for 33 first downs and four touchdowns (all top-three figures). Allen forced 11 missed tackles, gained 159 yards after contact (third most) and was one of three running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft running back class to record double-digit receiving gains of 15-plus yards (11).

Allen also performed well in the slot, catching 21 of 26 targets (most) for 188 yards and eight first downs. Five of his explosive plays came from the slot, where he also ranked third in PFF receiving grade (73.0).

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3. Cam Skattebo, Arizona State Sun Devils (79.8)

Skattebo led the draft class with 543 receiving yards, securing 44 of his 52 targets (fourth most) for 23 first downs (second most) and three touchdowns. He also led all draft-eligible running backs with 12 explosive gains — eight of which went for 20-plus yards (second most). Skattebo gained 199 yards after contact (second most), forced 13 missed tackles and averaged 13.0 yards after the catch per reception (most).

The 23-year-old spent his last two seasons at Arizona State after two years with Sacramento State. He caught 68 passes in that span for 829 yards (most) and finished in the top three in yards after contact (363), first downs gained (33), missed tackles forced (25) and catches of 15-plus yards (16). He recorded a 123.0 passer rating when targeted as a Sun Devil, ranking third in the draft class and first among the players on this list.



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4. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State Buckeyes (75.1)

Henderson caught 26 passes for 281 yards (eighth most) in 2024, his best receiving season since his freshman campaign (2021). He caught a touchdown pass, gained 11 first downs and recorded five gains of 20-plus yards through the air. Henderson also forced five missed tackles and averaged 10.2 yards after the catch per reception.

He was targeted 88 times in four seasons at Ohio State, their second-most-targeted non-receiver in that span. He finished his Buckeyes career with 76 catches for 850 yards (third most) and ranks 10th in PFF receiving grade (71.8). He gained 32 first downs and recorded 15 explosive plays in his career while ranking seventh in yards gained after contact (301).

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5. Marcus Major, Minnesota Golden Gophers (74.4)

Major spent 2024 with Minnesota after five seasons with Oklahoma. He caught 20 of 22 targets for 128 yards and a touchdown, gaining six first downs and forcing four missed tackles. All but four of his targets came from behind the line of scrimmage.

Major was only targeted 10-plus times one other time in his career: his final season with the Sooners. Over the past two seasons, he hauled in 32 passes for 203 yards, ranking eighth in PFF receiving grade (75.2).

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6. Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State Cowboys (73.2)

Gordon caught 30 passes for 198 yards and gained 85 yards after contact in 2024. He forced nine missed tackles, caught two touchdown passes and gained 14 first downs (sixth most). All but two of his targets came from behind the line of scrimmage, but he still recorded five plays of 15-plus yards. Gordon secured 12 of 14 targets on conversion downs for seven first downs and a touchdown, earning a 73.1 PFF receiving grade. He also secured six of seven red-zone targets.

Gordon garnered a career 68.7 PFF receiving grade in his three seasons at Oklahoma State. He ranked third in catches (81) and first downs (35) in that span. He racked up 604 receiving yards receiving (10th most) and five touchdown catches, too.

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7. Jordan Waters, North Carolina State Wolfpack (72.5)

Waters finished his college career at North Carolina State after five seasons at Duke. He caught 15 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown in 2024 while moving the chains 11 times and forcing two missed tackles.

Waters was targeted 51 times over his final three seasons, bringing in 40 passes for 412 yards. He moved the chains 24 times and gained 120 yards after contact.

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8. Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State Buckeyes (72.3)

Judkins recorded a career-best 161 receiving yards in his lone season at Ohio State. He secured 22 of 26 targets, caught two touchdown passes and gained nine first downs through the air. Judkins also forced six missed tackles, recorded three gains of 15-plus yards and gained 64 yards after contact. He also performed well in the red zone on a small sample size, securing each of his four targets for three first downs and two scores.

Judkins tallied at least 15 catches and 125 yards receiving in each of his three college seasons, culminating in a career 63.8 PFF receiving grade. He caught 44 passes for 310 yards over the past two years between Ole Miss and Ohio State.



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9. Woody Marks, USC Trojans (71.9)

Marks ranked third in targets (54) in his one year at USC. He caught 47 passes (second most) for 321 yards and gained 100 yards after contact (10th most). Marks did not score but ranked fifth in first downs (18) and forced seven missed tackles. He recorded six gains of 15-plus yards and averaged 9.0 yards after the catch per reception.

Marks spent four seasons at Mississippi State prior to USC, recording a career-high 78 catches in 2021. No running back in the nation ran more routes than Marks from 2020 to 2024 (1,335). He tallied 45-plus catches in four of his five college seasons and finished his career with an 80.4 PFF receiving grade.

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10. Ulysses Bentley IV, Ole Miss Rebels (70.7)

Bentley secured each of his 13 targets for 99 yards and five first downs in 2024. He recorded two catches of 15-plus yards, forced two missed tackles and gained 33 yards after contact.

Bentley split his college career between Ole Miss and SMU, spending three years at each school. His peak years as a receiver came between 2020 and 2021, when caught a combined 39 passes for 261 yards. He hauled in 24 passes for 186 yards over the past two seasons.