Jarquez
Hunter.
Jarquez
Hunter.
Auburn· 5'9"· 204 lb· 4.44s 40
"A low-to-the-ground power back with excellent contact balance and a nasty stiff arm, Hunter routinely turns short gains into longer ones by breaking arm tackles through the second level."Pre-draft read
Hunter is a compact, thick-legged runner with a genuinely violent lower half. He runs behind his pads, keeps his feet churning through arm tackles, and has the 4.44 speed to turn a clean crease into an explosive play; four straight seasons averaging better than six yards a carry is not an accident of scheme.
The problems are the parts of the job that are not running. He is a limited route runner with 68 career catches and stone hands on anything outside his frame, and pass protection is a real liability, where he too often lunges instead of setting his feet. He is a downhill weapon on early downs and a candidate to leave the field on third.
The Los Angeles Rams operate a diverse run scheme that emphasizes zone, gap, and RPO concepts, designed to generate explosive plays and wear down defenses.
Hunter projects as a Year 1 contributor in a committee backfield, with a ceiling as a reliable every-down back who can handle significant volume.
Hunter would be a poor fit in a run scheme that exclusively relies on two-back power with limited receiving opportunities, as his size and usage history do not align.
Hunter's versatility and athleticism make him an attractive option for the Rams' dynamic offensive scheme, offering immediate impact and long-term potential.
Jarquez Hunter | Running back
Game film cut-up of Jarquez Hunter's Auburn tape.
Jarquez Hunter Career Highlights | Auburn Rewind
Game film cut-up of Jarquez Hunter's Auburn tape.
Hunter was one of the most efficient runners in the SEC for four straight years and almost nobody noticed, because Auburn never gave him a full workload until 2024. He finished with 3,378 rushing yards on 539 carries, 6.3 a pop, and closed with a 1,201-yard senior season on 187 attempts. Explosive-run rate was the calling card; he broke long runs on a team that rarely blocked long runs.
The build is compact and dense at 5-9 and 204 pounds, and the testing matched the tape: 4.44 in the forty, 21 bench reps, a 33.5-inch vertical. He runs angry and finishes runs, but the 4.47 shuttle points at a back who is a straight-line accelerator rather than a make-you-miss creator. He also carried a lower fumble rate than his contact-seeking style would suggest.
The projection is a Day 3 early-down complement who has to earn the rest of the job. The ceiling is a 200-carry committee starter for an offense that runs downhill gap concepts. The floor is a two-down back who cannot get on the field because he does not protect the quarterback and cannot be trusted in the route tree. The rushing traits alone justify the pick; the third-down work will decide the career.
- 01
Four-year producer
Averaged over six yards per carry every season at Auburn.
- 02
Dense build
Has a low-center-of-gravity build with a violent lower half that finishes runs.
- 03
Explosive speed
Possesses 4.44 speed with acceleration to take a clean crease the distance.
- 04
Physical runner
Is a naturally physical contact runner who churns through arm tackles.
- 05
Ball security
Maintains reliable ball security despite a contact-seeking, tackle-breaking running style.
- 01
Pass protection liability
His pass protection is a real liability, as he lunges and loses at the point of contact.
- 02
Minimal receiving production
Had minimal receiving production with 68 career catches and hard hands outside his frame.
- 03
Linear vision
His vision can be linear, pressing the designed gap instead of taking the cutback.
- 04
Short and short-armed
Is short and short-armed, which limits his usefulness on passing downs.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.44sp50
- Vertical
- 33.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 120inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.47sp50
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Auburn | 13 | 89 | 593 | 3 | 12 | 61 |
| 2022 | Auburn | 12 | 104 | 675 | 7 | 17 | 224 |
| 2023 | Auburn | 12 | 159 | 909 | 7 | 18 | 118 |
| 2024 | Auburn | 12 | 187 | 1201 | 8 | 21 | 155 |
| Career | — | 49 | 539 | 3378 | 25 | 68 | 558 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Payton ThorneQB24%
- Keandre LambertWR12%
- Cam ColemanWR9%
#5 of 18 tracked contributors · Production leaned on volume · Offense explosiveness 1.24 (p37) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Physical early-down complement who takes 120 to 150 carries and leaves on third down.
Explosive Day 3 back who added passing-down reliability and grew into a lead role.
Talented runner who never earns snaps because the passing-down work never comes along.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
The floor scenario is exactly what happened. Hunter made the Rams roster on the back of a strong preseason, 31 carries for 110 yards, and then almost never played: special teams in five of the first six games, no regular-season rushing or receiving statistics, and a healthy inactive designation for the rest of the year.
That is not a talent verdict, it is a role verdict, and the pre-draft profile named it. On a team with an established backfield, an early-down runner who cannot protect the quarterback and does not run routes has no path to the field. Nothing about year one changes the rushing evaluation, since he was not given a chance to disprove or confirm it. What has to change in 2026 is the third-down work; the traits that made him a six-yards-a-carry back for four SEC seasons are still sitting on the inactive list.