To this point, there aren't any clear tea leaves about a prospect that the Jacksonville Jaguars might select at running back to help replace Travis Etienne.
Though Jacksonville had a combine visit with Washington's Jonah Coleman, that's not always general managers tipping their hand. Last year, James Gladstone met with four separate running backs at the all-star games or the combine, and he drafted two entirely different ones: Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr.
Neither 2025 rookie was able to unseat Etienne, which is why the team signed Chris Rodriguez Jr. in March. Given that Rodriguez and Tuten are early-down options, that leaves Allen Jr. -- for now -- as the Jags' third-down back.
Penn State's Nicholas Singleton could change that. He'll likely be a Day 3 selection after breaking his foot at the Senior Bowl, but Singleton had high-impact moments in the Nittany Lions' 2024 run through the College Football Playoff. He was a projected Day 2 pick entering 2025.
With Liam Coen's offense historically so heavily predicated on throwing to backs, could Singleton be a priority in the fourth or fifth round?
Nicholas Singleton NFL Draft Profile and Combine Measurements
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 219 pounds
Arm Length: 31.0"
Hand Span: 9.4"
40-Yard Dash: N/A
10-Yard Split: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
There are no "politics" from agents here. The aforementioned foot injury at the Senior Bowl for Singleton wiped out what would have been one of his best selling points. He's been rumored in the 4.35-second range for the 40-yard dash.
Part of Singleton's slide began in an inconsistent final campaign that was a nightmare for Penn State across the board, though. In 2024, the tailback managed 1,474 scrimmage yards on 213 touches. In 2025, those numbers dipped to 768 scrimmage yards on 147 touches as Kaytron Allen took over the team's early-down role.
A Day 2 argument would have been easier if you married first-round athletic traits to that fourth-round production, but the injury will almost certainly push Singleton to Saturday.
Nicholas Singleton NFL Draft Tape Evaluation: Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: Explosive straight-line speed and acceleration, reliable routes and hands, and pass protection
Weaknesses: Vision carrying the ball as a running back and decision-making
I've heard a TreVeyon Henderson comparison tossed around for Nicholas Singleton, but I think he's a significantly better prospect. That will excite a fanbase that ends up sorting through the red flags to take him on Day 3.
Singleton is much bigger than Henderson and, as a result, can absorb contact to finish runs. There are times, though, that you wish he'd just play to his speed and focus on making a single cut to burn upfield. That was significantly more present in 2024.
I still see Singleton as a high-floor selection in the modern NFL. He's a reliable pass protection option with great hands and routes for the position -- even lining up into the slot at times for Penn State. He also returned kicks for them and would be a good fit to do so when considering the NFL's new kickoff rules.
The Henderson comparison — unflatteringly — makes more sense when evaluating just his vision. Singleton often misses running lanes and makes the wrong choice, which is likely why he lost time to Allen, who maximizes runs despite physical limitations and next-to-no upside in the passing game.
Nicholas Singleton's Fit with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Singleton would almost fit too well into a third-down role with Rodriguez Jr. and Tuten. I am perplexed that this marriage hasn't been floated by more draft experts, given that Jacksonville has six picks in Rounds 3, 4, and 5.
Liam Coen's system is so heavily reliant on having a guy who can do this at a high level. Coen's Tampa Bay Buccaneers targeted running backs at the third-highest rate in the NFL in 2024 (131), but that ranking dropped to just 22nd in his first year with the Jags (78).
That's probably because Etienne had never caught 60 balls in a season, Tuten was rarely involved in the passing game at Virginia Tech, and Allen Jr.'s responsible skillset just didn't bring much juice at 4.5 yards per touch.
Singleton would give the Jaguars a supersized upgrade to their third-down role. I still think he's a top-five running back in this weaker class with the upside to still handle a full workload in the pros if he can translate his vision on kickoffs to individual runs.