The 2025 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the DJ Giddens NFL Draft Profile.
Position: Running Back
School: Kansas State
Size: 6-foot-1, 212 pounds
Class: Junior
2024 stats: 205 carries, 1,343 rushing yards, 7 rushing touchdowns, 6.6 yards per rush, 21 receptions, 258 receiving yards, 1 touchdown catches
Giddens was an unranked recruit in the class of 2021 and signed with Kansas State. He redshirted in 2021, then started seeing work with 518 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards and six total touchdowns. In 2023, he became a featured running back, registering 1,226 rushing yards, 323 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns. His play helped Kansas State win nine games. For the 2024 season, he totaled 1,343 rushing yards, 258 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He led the Wildcats to a second-straight nine-win season.
Following the season, Giddens decided to forego his remaining eligibility and declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. He is a projected mid-round pick.
Giddens has solid size for an NFL running back at 6-foot-1 and 212 pounds. With his size, comes good power, as he has good contact balance and the ability to break tackles. He can be used in short-yardage and goal line situations, as he is able to pick up tough yards between the tackles.
Even though he has good size, he is elusive, making defenders miss regularly. He has a nice jump cut, which he uses to get to open space. This wiggle he has, allows him to pick up more yardage. He is a creative runner, who can set up defenders then take advantage of how he set them up.
His receiving production is worth noting. Giddens was split out wide at times, but was also useful to the offense out of the backfield. He is capable of running solid routes and a decent amount of them too. Giddens has nice hands and is able to pick up a lot of yards after the catch, making him an multi-dimensional weapon.
While he is a solid athlete in many ways, Giddens lacks breakaway speed. He is still able to pick up a lot of yards because of his vision and elusiveness, but it is rare that he can outrun the defense and take the ball for long carries. His speed will be average among NFL running backs.
He is a weapon as a pass catcher, but could be better on passing downs by improving his blocking. He has the size to pass protect well, but needs to square up pass rushers and keep his hands inside. Too often, he dives at defenders feet to cut them rather than blocking straight up.
Giddens can run with an elevated pad level. This can limit his power, contact balance and ability to change to directions. Keeping his pad level down will help him run more effectively and also help him avoid hits.
Projected Draft Range: Third Round Pick-Fifth Round Pick
Draft Grade: Third Round Pick
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