NFL Draft
4/7/25
4 min read
Jarquez Hunter 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Auburn RB
Height: 5093 (verified)
Weight: 204lbs (verified)
Year: Senior
Pro Comparison: Sean Tucker
Scouting Overview
Auburn Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter is a one-cut, physical runner with good explosive burst and contact balance to help create added yardage on his own. The profile in the passing game is modest as a protector and a receiver, but Hunter does provide some upside as a potential returner to boost his profile for teams.
He runs violently but isn’t big, creating a unique foil that allows him to run under the pads of blockers before twisting and contorting for whatever extra space he can ultimately claim for himself.
2025 NFL Combine Results
| Position | Name | School | 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Split | Broad Jump | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-Yard Shuttle | Bench Press |
| RB | Jarquez Hunter | Auburn | 4.44 | 1.58 | 120 | 33.5 | 21 |
Positives
- Bursty one-cut ability to burst upfield and break soft tackle challenges in the hole
- Showcases good initial vision coming out of the mesh point to identify rush track
- Offers return ability on special teams to add to contribution opportunities
Negatives
- Does not showcase the ability to string multiple cuts together and pick through advanced traffic in space
- Does not showcase appeal as either a route runner or pass protector for third down role
- Ideally, he would be a bigger player to match his running style
Background
Hunter is from Philadelphia, MS, and played high school football for Neshoba Central HS. There, he was a 3-star recruit (247 Sports) and was honored as Mr. Football in the state of Mississippi as a senior. Hunter enrolled at Auburn as a member of their 2021 recruiting class and played in 13 games as a true freshman.
He would go on to play in 49 games with the Tigers, starting each game in his final two seasons with the program in 2023 and 2024. Hunter was named Second Team All-SEC as a junior and First Team All-SEC as a senior.
Hunter accepted an invitation to the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl upon completing his final year of eligibility.
Tale Of The Tape
Hunter is a strong, urgent runner who makes the most of his opportunities to slash and gouge the opposing front. He’s got good pop when breaking into a crease and showcases the ability to burst upfield. This will be a useful tool in his belt for executing zone runs on the inside, although he does have sufficient speed to take runs to the perimeter as well.
Hunter is best with his pads north, however. It allows him to build momentum and run behind his frame. Hunter is built low to the ground and poses challenges for defenders to try to work up and underneath his pads.
Once he commits to a track, he’ll stay with it and push the pace to maximize his gains on that path. Teams looking for a back who is not afraid of contact and willing to finish all of his runs through contact will like what he can be as a “wear down” change of pace option.
In a perfect world, he’d be a heavier player to truly offer punishing and bruising collisions. Still, Hunter does have the ability to twist and spin out of contact sufficiently and thanks to his low center of gravity, he’s difficult to wrap and square up at first contact.
However, Hunter is a linear player and lacks the same appeal when playing with a loose lower half. He doesn’t string cuts together particularly well, and he’s mostly a tightly wound ball of muscle as opposed to a slippery, fluid runner through tight creases and spaces.
In the passing game, Hunter lacks appeal. He does not have the wiggle, creativity, or catch radius to warrant extensive looks in this role. As a pass protector, he can be tardy or inefficient when framing blocks on the edges, which leaves his pocket setting shaky and inconsistent.
Hunter does offer kick return experience and was a productive returner in his early years at Auburn. He could feasibly mirror a similar added value track at the pro level as well.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Hunter projects as a potential rotational piece of a running back stable.
His one-cut, no-nonsense style and physical running would ideally serve as a developmental depth piece for an offense looking to implement a lot of inside zone.
Grade: 71.00/100.00, Fifth Round Value
Big Board Rank: 170
Position Rank: RB16
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