Here are five things to know about Bhayshul Tuten, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ fourth-round pick.
In the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten.
The addition of Tuten adds competition and some home run ability to the Jaguars‘ running back room.
Let’s take a closer look at this selection with five things to know about Tuten.
More speed in the backfield
Tuten wasn’t only fast at the NFL combine, he was the fastest running back that participated in the event, running a lightning-quick 4.32-second 40-yard dash. In fact, compared to all other position groups at this year’s combine, Tuten had the fifth fastest 40 overall.
“I think we’ve definitely addressed the ability to strike from a distance,” said Liam Coen about the additions to the offense during free agency and the draft.
Tuten’s big-play abilities
As you can imagine, with that speed, Tuten brings a lot of big-play potential to the Jaguars’ backfield.
During the 2024 season, Tuten rushed for 1,150 yards–275 yards more than the previous year–and did so at a whopping 6.3 yards per rush attempt. This was the seventh-highest average out of all running backs last year.
Contributing to that overall production was Tuten’s ability to make defenders miss and stay on his feet. He would rank third in average yards after contact, 14th in missed tackles forced, and that led to big plays, with Tuten tallying the ninth-most rushes of 15-plus yards, according to PFF.
What about the passing game?
If we look at the Tampa Bay offense last season under Liam Coen, the running back’s ability to impact the passing game is an important element. Rachaad White would rank ninth among all backs in receptions, while Bucky Irving was 10th.
Tuten wasn’t featured in the passing game in the same capacity as LeQuint Allen was, but he has experience. Over his four college seasons, Tuten was targeted 115 times, catching 74% of those passes at an impressive 10.0 yards per catch with nine touchdowns. Most of Tuten’s snaps and pass game opportunities came out of the backfield.
That speed and ability he has to make defenders miss could make Tuten a real threat in the passing game, where Coen can get him the ball in space.
James Gladstone on Bhayshul Tuten
“Yeah, so with that, those are things that you’re projecting and aren’t always accurate. That’s pre-combine, which typically testing is going to play a major part in where a player ends up getting selected. I must say once Tuten ran that 40, I don’t know that I would have guessed that he would be available on Day 3, but nonetheless, he found himself there taken off pretty quickly at 104,” Gladstone said of Tuten, via Jaguars on SI.
“So we were jacked to be able to be in that position to prioritize him because at the end of the day we want to level up the competition across the entirety of the roster, and running back is a spot that we’re going to lean on. As Liam can probably allude to, it’s so rarely just a one-person spot. It’s going to take a collective effort, just like the draft did. We look forward to the group as a whole in addition to LeQuint [Allen, Jr.] coming in and making this thing as rounded as it possibly can be.”
Scouting report on Tuten
Lance Zierlein: “If you spend too much time focusing on the small inconsistencies of Tuten’s college game, you run the risk of overlooking the match he is for the pro game. He’s an explosive athlete with average size but a compact frame. He has elite straight-line speed and easy hips to make sudden cuts and turns. He’s fairly average at reading the front and running with early decisiveness but creates with wiggle, power and speed. Drops and fumbles are a concern, but runners with his contact balance, power and home run speed put tremendous stress on defenses over four quarters. Tuten could become a starting-caliber back with three-down value.”