NFL Draft
3/13/25
5 min read
Jordan James 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Oregon Ducks RB
Height: 5094 (verified)
Weight: 205lbs (verified)
Year: Junior
Pro Comparison: Dameon Pierce
Scouting Overview
Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James is a powerful, violent runner who excels through contact with a low center of gravity and good contact balance. There’s a missing gear to his game that would make him a significantly more explosive runner, but James illustrates exemplary ball security (no career fumbles on 386 career rushes) and consistently created yardage on his own after contact.
He became a short-yardage and red zone monster for the Ducks and is effective in twisting and contorting off of contact to spin to daylight. James will need to develop his passing game profile to become a featured player, but he should offer physical running to his next NFL team.
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 | Jordan James | Oregon | 4.55 | 1.62 | 117 |
Positives
- Runs physical and is unafraid to challenge tacklers with his compact pad level and fall forward in dirty gaps
- Possesses a good appetite and physicality for pass protection to stonewall free runners
- Tremendous ball security makes him a reliable option for a running back stable
Negatives
- Lacks explosive burst and second gear in the open field
- Patience when pressing the gap too often leaves him running into blockers at the line of scrimmage
- Is not a particularly creative ball carrier who instead relies on aggression and urgency
Background
James is from Nashville, TN, and played high school football for Oakland HS for his final two seasons after starting at Brentwood Academy. At Oakland HS, he was a 4-star recruit (247 Sports) who was part of a powerhouse program that went 30-0 and won consecutive 6A state titles. He chose to enroll with the Oregon Ducks over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State, and other national powerhouses.
As a freshman in 2022, James appeared in 10 games as a limited contributor. By 2023, he was a more prominent part of the rotation and scored 11 rushing touchdowns on just 107 carries. James assumed a starting role for the Ducks in 2024 and was named Second Team All-Big Ten for his play — he logged 15 rushing touchdowns across 14 starts.
Tale Of The Tape
It is easy to love the way Jordan James carries the rock. This is an aggressive, confident runner who will take creases and slivers of daylight to maximize his yardage opportunities when he’s not given gaping holes. His commitment to churning out hard yards is accentuated by his low pad level and leg drive, both of which make him a difficult assignment to tackle head-up in the hole.
As a ball carrier, James shows sufficient vision and decision-making out of the mesh point. He’s capable of making shallow cuts and redirecting with anticipation to avoid color flashing at the mesh point.
Still, his willingness to slow play the backfield and allow blocks to develop can be further enhanced — it would allow him to pop more chunk gains instead of rushing to work out of the backfield and bearing the weight of plus yardage on his contact balance. That said, the contact balance is quite good.
James does not have ideal speed to press the corner and defeat angles from defenders scraping over the top, but when he presses the hole and finds a bounce opportunity, he does see it well enough to pivot off his track and can add extra yards. He’s scored a number of touchdowns in the red area in this fashion.
This is not an overly creative player in space, but thanks to his short strides and his low center of gravity, he does boast a good initial change of direction to facilitate poor fits on his frame with the rock.
In the passing game, James offers effective pass protection reps with the needed edge and attitude to stick-free runners. He stonewalled Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom on a blitz in the first matchup of 2024 between Ohio State and Oregon, which showcased how stiff his punch and pads can be.
He seeks contact and is willing to cut when necessary while simultaneously showcasing discipline to step up, close down angles, stand in to punch, and use his hands.
The receiving profile is modest but efficient. James does not offer a large catch radius, and the separation quickness in isolation vs. man coverage won't stress viable coverage defenders at the NFL level. He’ll likely be a delayed checkdown option starting out as he tries to round this phase of his game into form.
In all, this is a talent who protects the football and protects the quarterback while offering a skill-specific value as a violent short-yardage runner. That profile makes him a viable early contributor who, in the right situation, could gain the trust of a coaching staff and be weaned into a bigger role with time.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
James projects as a physical complement to a running back room. He’d be best implemented in gap concepts that give him a predetermined hole to hit, cutting down on his need to allow blocks to develop and instead letting him hit gaps with force and confidence.
He’s a viable pass protector entering the league but will need to be developed from a receiving standpoint in order to maximize his opportunities and snap share.
Grade: 73.00/100.00, Fourth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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