Jordan James was a driving force on a high-powered Oregon offense in 2024, but how does his full NFL scouting report look?
More 2025 NFL Draft Profiles
Overview, Film Analysis, And 2025 Scouting Report Of Oregon RB Jordan James
Measurables:
5’10”
210 lbs
Player Background:
A Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native, Jordan James committed to Oregon out of Oakland High School. He graduated in the 2022 class and was ranked as a four-star recruit, a Top-15 running back prospect, and a Top-200 overall player in the nation. His freshman year started hot, appearing in 10 of 13 games and logging statistics in nine of them. He rushed for 189 yards and five scores on 46 carries, catching one pass for six yards.
James put together a historic sophomore campaign, leading the PAC-12 conference with a wild 7.09 yards per carry. He finished the year with 759 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, catching 15 passes for 132 yards and a score as well. His exponential improvement continued into 2024, eclipsing the 1,200-yard mark in 14 games. He set a career-high as well with 15 touchdowns and added another 209 yards through the air.
Accolades:
All-Big Ten Second Team (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
James is a shifty, compact, and lateral mover who can make defenders miss in space at a high clip. His hip turns are incredibly quick, and he will fully re-center himself and take off in the other direction. He’s a quick accelerator, driving through his legs and shooting out of a cannon when committing to a lane in traffic. He bullets through smaller holes and runs low enough to sneak through gaps much more concisely than most.
He sticks through side-hitting arm tackles with ease, continuing his momentum and driving downfield. James leads well with his hips, smartly using them to drive away from tacklers and work into space. His vision is decent overall, and he consistently keeps the ball high and tight to avoid fumbles. He takes contact well as a pass blocker and can absorb some bigger hits. His commitment to play-action plays is fun to watch, creating much more defensive chaos. He looks comfortable catching the ball and transitions quickly upfield.
Weaknesses/Cons:
James is a very average athlete and won’t “wow” scouts with most of his regular abilities. His acceleration is solid, but he doesn’t have the top-end speed to be a legitimate home run threat at any point. He’s a pretty stiff player who won’t consistently fly through lateral gaps in the inside run game. His size becomes an all-encompassing issue that gets taken advantage of often. He doesn’t break a ton of tackles and gets slowed down quite often by any substantial contact.
Bigger defenders will manhandle him at times, and he can’t do much to prevent it. It carries over to the blocking game, too, with very raw, visible technique and a lower sustained success rate. James also falls too far downward, needing to drive through tacklers to gain extra yardage. He lets his eyes drift too far downfield, and when he does get to the second level, his decisions become inefficient and often ill-advised. His vision will have bad lapses sometimes, getting smothered at the line on plays that he should extend.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
James is truly a wait-and-see prospect in what’s an incredibly deep running-back class. He doesn’t truly stand out in any of the important areas, but his body of game film shows that he can be a producer at the NFL level. His acceleration is fantastic, and simply the way he operates in a plethora of rushing situations will simply attract the attention of many teams. A solid RB2 is a safe bet for his future as of now, but he could assume a starting role in the right situation.
Prospect Grade:
Late 4th Round
Film Exposures:
2024 vs. Ohio State
2024 vs. Penn State
2024 vs. Michigan
Main Photo: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images