With the No. 104 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten.
Process
Hot, nasty, badass speed is what Tuten brings to the table. He recorded a 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine — 99th percentile for running back prospects and a tenth of a second faster than Brian Thomas Jr. last year.
When Tuten is in at running back, and Thomas, Travis Hunter, and Dyami Brown are in at wide receiver, Jacksonville will boast one of the fastest skill position groups in the NFL.
The selection of Tuten makes fourth-year pro Travis Etienne a ‘draft loser’ considering the similarity of their profiles as home-run-hitting change-of-pace backs. I’m a little bummed that this could signal the end of Etienne’s career in Jacksonville, but it certainly makes sense to add competition to the running back room.
Player
Photo by Ryan Hunt/Getty Images
Background
Name: Bhayshul (BAY-shull) Tuten (TOOT-en)
Class: Senior
Age: 23 (turns 24 in February)
Hometown: Paulsboro, NJ
High school: Paulsboro
Recruiting: unranked
Consensus ranking: 109 (RB10)
Accolades: 2024 – Second Team All-ACC. 2023 – Second Team All-ACC. 2022 – First Team All-Big South.
Instagram: @bhayshul_
Stats
Rushing & Receiving Table
Rushing Receiving Scrimmage Season Team Conf Class Pos G Att Yds Y/A TD Y/G Rec Yds Y/R TD Y/G Plays Yds Avg TD Awards
2023* Virginia Tech ACC JR RB 13 173 863 5.0 10 66.4 27 239 8.9 2 18.4 200 1102 5.5 12
2024* Virginia Tech ACC SR RB 11 183 1159 6.3 15 105.4 23 81 3.5 2 7.4 206 1240 6.0 17
Career 24 356 2022 5.7 25 84.3 50 320 6.4 4 13.3 406 2342 5.8 29
Stock
via NFL Mock Draft Database
Reports
From Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:
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.
From Dane Brugler of The Athletic:
When the blocking gets a hat on a hat, Tuten has the explosiveness to do the rest and forces tacklers to be perfect with their technique to slow his leg churn (averaged 4.40 yards after contact per carry in 2024). He is much more comfortable running on the edges compared to inside and needs to continue improving his decision-making between the tackles.
From Andrew Oja and Thomas Hunt of Sports Info Solutions:
Tuten projects as a lower-end starter with a limited role on 3rd down. He fits best in a gap scheme where he can hit the hole with speed, but he will be successful in a zone scheme as well since it can allow him to find cutback lanes and potentially use his elusiveness and speed to break off large chunks of yards. He has the frame, speed, vision, and toughness to be a solid three-down starter if he’s able to improve in pass protection and just gain more reps as a receiver. Tuten is also a very good kick returner, and should be able to compete for that role at the next level. While he has some fight and speed, his size will limit him in most other areas of special teams.
From Trevor Sikemma of PFF:
Tuten is a speedy slasher who can thrive in a zone-blocking scheme, and his movement skills give him the potential to be productive between the tackles if his vision improves. However, he must refine his pass protection and ball security to become a reliable rotational player in the NFL.
From Dame Parson of Bleacher Report:
Tuten is a compact and charged-up running back prospect. He projects to be an RB2 with starting upside. His speed and acceleration behind a good offensive line on outside zone calls would be a perfect pairing.
From Kyle Crabbs of The 33rd Team:
Virginia Tech Hokies running back Bhayshul Tuten is a dynamic home run hitter who can change the script of the game with one play, for better or for worse. At his best, Tuten can blow the doors off defenders in the open field and has a nasty blend of vision, patience, and explosiveness to stretch the point of attack and cut back against overaggressive defenders. … If you can believe Tuten can be coached out of the ball security issues, he profiles as a potential game-breaker at running back.
Highlights
Quote
“[Being the NFL’s fastest player is] a goal I’m going to chase, but I know it’s a lot faster now. So, I can’t even come out and say that. But I’m fast, so they better be fast as [expletive] if they’re running with me.”
Find more quotes from every Jaguars draft pick HERE.
All of our 2025 NFL Draft content covering the Jacksonville Jaguars is available HERE.
Jaguars fans, let us know your initial thoughts in the comments below!