NFL Draft
3/10/25
6 min read
Jaydon Blue 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Texas Longhorns RB
Height: 5090 (verified)
Weight: 196lbs (verified)
Year: Junior
Pro Comparison: Anthony McFarland
Scouting Overview
Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue is lightning in a bottle and capable of being a home run hitter at the NFL level. He’s got electric foot speed and cut ability that allows him to flash across the face of would-be tacklers in space and force missed tackles.
If you give him the edge or a crease, you’re begging for a foot race you’ll likely lose. But Blue will need to improve the consistency of his vision out of the mesh point, the patience of some of his presses to the line of scrimmage, and refine some of the little things in his game. He struggled with ball security in 2024 and must become a more refined player in pass protection to see the field.
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 | Jaydon Blue | Texas | 4.38 | 1.52 |
Positives
- Offers legitimate 4.3 speed and electric open field ability to break pursuit angles
- Bouncy cuts offer him the ability to flash into an adjacent gap when pressing the line of scrimmage
- Offers impactful passing game profile after increased usage in 2024
Negatives
- Major ball security issues with four lost fumbles in hardly 200 carries since 2022
- Processing and physicality in pass protection are liabilities that must be fortified
- Showed an eagerness at times to look to bounce out the back door and leave dirty yards on the field
Background
Blue is from Houston, TX, and played high school football for Klein Cain HS. There, he also lettered in track & field while running the 100M (10.70s) and 200M. He was a standout talent on the gridiron and an All-State & All-American honoree. He was selected to participate in the 2022 All-American Bowl as a 4-star recruit (247 Sports) and one of the top recruits available in the state of Texas. He committed to the Longhorns as a member of their 2022 recruiting class.
Blue played in nine games as a true freshman in 2022 before collecting a bigger snap share and rotation opportunity as a true sophomore in 2023. He would collect his first career start against Colorado State in 2024 and finished his career with 38 games played and five starts.
Blue declared early for the 2025 NFL Draft, bypassing his final year of college eligibility.
Tale Of The Tape
Blue is a fun talent who has the potential to eventually become quite the disruptor in the running game. He is capable of torching defenses that offer soft edges and let him get out in space up the sideline. His home-run hitting ability is “hold your breath” fast. so he’s likely to be given lots of patience as he hones his craft.
That said, he is a grossly under-repped talent with just more than 600 snaps at the college level, and it shows. Blue is rough around the edges with his consistency as a runner and in the peripheral areas of the position.
As a ball carrier, he shows delightful burst and sudden feet that parlay cuts effortlessly. He’ll bounce and bound through the line of scrimmage as he presses his blocks to set up second-level defenders and jitter his way through space. If his line gives him a good bit of surge up front at the point of attack and his instincts to find space can take over, he’s got the ability to gouge you for big gains.
Still, his discipline pressing the line of scrimmage on zone runs and longer developing blocks at times yield eager runs that break into the pursuit of fitting defenders and don’t embrace the tough yards mindset needed to consistently stay on schedule as a runner.
He needs to be more mindful of his ball security, too. He put the ball on the ground way too often, averaging a fumble on every one out of less than 50 carries throughout his Texas career. These came from defenders putting a hat on the ball in head-up challenges but more so came from defenders running him down from behind and chopping out the football on what would otherwise be big gains. He’s too loose with the football and needs to be mindful in space.
Blue is a leaner cut for a back. While he runs hard and can contort off the first contact, he’s not a pile pusher, and his ability to churn with his legs through contact to fall forward should not be considered a regular staple of his game. He’s more of a space runner.
In the passing game, Blue saw an influx of targets for a Texas offense that often looked to scheme easy completions in 2024. This helps Blue’s pro-game projection, although it is worth noting that he did sport a 10 percent drop rate in 2024.
His pass protection work is where he stands to grow the most, and he will need more reps and polish. He appeared to misdiagnose a number of scan protections and give up free runs by vacating space prematurely.
In addition, he struggled with the physicality element of stepping up against free runners and aggressively framing blocks. He has good reps that offer good pop and thump, but every one of those is matched with a rep where he’s completely washed into his quarterback’s lap or gives up soft angles for defenders to disengage.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Blue projects as a developmental back who can contribute to an NFL rotation. His early career value will be determined by how quickly he fixes the ancillary flaws in his game.
Without improvement, gaining the trust of an NFL coaching staff will be difficult. With his speed and cut ability, he projects best into a wide zone rushing system.
Grade: 71.00/100.00, Fifth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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