Browns Find Nick Chubb Replacement in Second Round

The Cleveland Browns used their second pick in the second round on Friday to select Quinshon Judkins, potentially securing their successor to Nick Chubb.

After going defense with their first two picks, the Browns added a playmaker in Judkins, who will fortify what was a shaky backfield in Cleveland. Judkins was a big producer during his college career, first at Ole Miss and then Ohio State. He rushed for 3,785 yards and 45 touchdowns over three college seasons.

Judkins helped himself at the NFL Combine, running a 4.48-second 40-yard dash. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick loved the pick for Cleveland.

“He’s like Nick Chubb with even more speed,” Riddick said. “He’s made for the Cleveland Browns and made for northern Ohio with his between-the-tackles, downhill punishing style. And he has homerun speed at 4.38. If he can play at that speed in the open field, he’s going to be an absolute menace.”

Quinshon Judkins Known for ‘Chaotic’ Running Style

Here was the breakdown on Judkins from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, who projected the Ohio State product to be a second-round pick.

“Judkins is a productive runner possessing good size and great contact aggression. His running style is both urgent and a bit chaotic. He runs with good burst inside but is more collision-based than wiggle-oriented when maneuvering through the lane,” Zierlein said. “He’s efficient on runs outside the tackle box, but he has a tough time outracing pursuit to create explosive runs. He is wired and built for a heavier carry count and short-yardage success, but the disparity in yards per carry between Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, despite running behind the same line, is telling. Judkins might need to be paired with a slasher, but he has the ingredients needed to become a three-down RB1.”

Judkins joins a backfield that includes Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. He will likely be in the mix to start out of the gate.

Earlier in the draft, the Browns selected defensive tackle Mason Graham (No. 5 overall) and linebacker Carson Schwesinger (No. 33).

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