2025 Rookie Profile: RB Bhayshul Tuten (Fantasy Football)
Few people knew the name Bhayshul Tuten before his scalding hot 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine. He clocked an impressive 4.32, the fastest among RBs at the Combine in 2025, and the fastest split at 1.49. We all know it is the year of the RB when it comes to the NFL Draft, and Tuten is another one on the long list of impressive options. Let’s look at Tuten’s production profile and numbers and explore his range of fantasy outcomes.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of our Rookie Profile series going on until the 2025 NFL Draft. For more on each rookie, check out Andy, Mike, and Jason’s exclusive rookie rankings and production profiles found only in the Dynasty Pass, part of the UDK+ for 2025.
College Production Profile
Raised in Paulsboro, New Jersey, Tuten played football at Paulsboro High School, and as a senior in 2020, he was crowned the South Jersey Times Football Offensive Player of the Year. He finished high school with 3,768 rushing yards and 77 TDs but didn’t receive many collegiate offers. The unranked recruit took his talents to North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina – the only offer he received.
Tuten spent two years at NC A&T, and after a slow start in his freshman year, he started to show some talent during his second season in 2022. As a sophomore in Greensboro, Tuten finished with almost 1400 yards rushing and 13 TDs. He also managed 30 receptions, turning them into 333 yards. But hey, these numbers came against schools like Edward Waters, Norfolk State University, and Gardner-Webb University. I mean, go Runnin’ Bulldogs, am I right?
Needless to say, the competition wasn’t fierce for Tuten, and he entered the transfer portal to find himself at Virginia Tech. It was a different world playing in the ACC, but Tuten proved he belonged. He was named Second Team All-ACC in both of his years as a Hokie.
One of the key things when looking at Tuten is his upward trajectory. First, he had success at a smaller school, then headed to a bigger school to have moderate success. He ended his college career at Virginia Tech with solid production.
Measurables
| Age | Height | Weight | Vertical | Broad | 40-yard | 10-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Breakout Age |
| 23.9 | 5’9″ | 206 lb | 40.5″ | 10’10” | 4.32 | 1.49 | 4.41 | 20.6 |
Bhayshul Tuten isn’t just combine fast, he’s a burner on the field too.
I have him graded higher than Kaleb Johnson, Ollie Gordon, Devin Neal, and others.
He’s an under the radar back I really like this class.
— JWack (@JaredWackerly) March 1, 2025
As already mentioned, Tuten’s big moment came at the NFL Combine when he torched the 40. He had already been on a few radars, but that moment made people pay attention. Past his speed, he had the best score among RBs on the vertical jump and the fourth best on the broad jump.
What’s On Tape
Games Viewed: Purdue (2023), Boston College (2024), Clemson (2024), Miami (2024)
1. He’s speedy and explosive
Look, I don’t need to belabor a point, but Tuten is fast. The 4.32 40 time at the NFL Combine gave us a taste of his ability, but there is so much more to discuss. His 10-yard split at the Combine puts him in the 96th percentile, and his 10’10” broad jump was in the 93rd. Tuten is an incredible one-cut runner who turns on the gas as soon as he hits the hole. And once he gets into the open field, look out. In his final year, Tuten had 34 runs over 10 yards, which was the 17th most in his draft class. Even more impressive, he had 21 designed rushing attempts that went for over 15 yards. Tuten is one of nine RBs who had over 30 runs over 10 yards and 20 runs going for over 15.
Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten skiing the moguls.
Nice job tempoing the run until he breaks the second level, then accelerating to beat pursuit and finishing with 4.32 speed.
That little COD and explosion right at the 50: much harder than he makes it look! pic.twitter.com/qI7a7bBcur
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) March 13, 2025
Once he starts those long runs, Tuten is successful most of the time. He had 621 yards on designed attempts that were more than 15 yards. Only six RBs in his class had more, and his 54% breakaway percentage is the 6th best. Tuten is also consistent in shorter yardage, clocking a solid 6.3 yards per attempt, and is explosive out in space.
Career Explosive Run rates from 2025 RBs
RJ Harvey: 21%
Jarquez Hunter: 18.9%
Cam Skattebo/Bhayshul Tuten: 18%
Marcus Yarns: 17.9%
Damien Martinez: 17.8% pic.twitter.com/oHfAbvtUlI— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) February 20, 2025
2 . He is a moderate-sized player.
When it comes to the production profile on the website, things are color-coded, with red being the worst, green being the best, and yellow right in the middle. It helps us visualize how height, weight, and breakout age come together for each prospect. Coming in at 5’9”, 206 lbs, and a 20.6 breakout age, Tuten is one of only two prospects on the page to fall in the yellow for all three variables. But don’t write him off quite yet. This isn’t necessarily a knock on the guy; it’s just an observation. He could easily beef up a bit before lacing his shoes up as a pro, and I see a guy who would be happier playing closer to 215 than 206. He is also so speedy and explosive that an additional 10 pounds might not slow him down too much. If Tuten can maintain his current speed at that kind of weight, look out.
Being a smaller back, his highest number of rushing attempts was as a sophomore when he had 208. Both years at Virginia Tech, he had less than 200. Less tread on the tires, perhaps? Even being a slightly smaller RB didn’t stop Tuten from carrying the majority of the weight for his team, both figuratively and literally. During his final year at Virginia Tech, he had a solid 35% dominator rating (share of team total yards and TDs per game).
3. Good at yards after contact.
Tuten is the type of RB that will put his shoulder down and fight for extra yards. He was ninth in his class in missed tackles forced per attempt. He also averaged 4.4 yards after contact per attempt, putting him sixth in his class among RBs with 30 or more carries. His total yards after contact of 806 ain’t too shabby either.
4. Receiving upside…kinda.
Tuten isn’t the best pass-catching back in his class, but he did contribute through the air in college. He had 63 total targets during his time at Virginia Tech, catching 85% of his targets in his senior year. However, Tuten was primarily used in check-down situations, so he does have room to widen his receiving potential with more designed passing plays. You didn’t see Tuten really run any routes, which is something he would need to work on.
What’s Not On Tape
1. There are some ball security issues.
Tuten needs to work on his ball security: period, end of sentence. For a guy who had zero fumbles in his first two years at NC A&T, he had four fumbles in each of his two years at Virginia Tech. That amount in his final season ties for the most among RBs in his draft class with at least 50 attempts. If he hopes to be a solid starter at the NFL level, he must clean this up.
Two of the most explosive running backs in this 2025 cycle have significant ball security issues.
Bhayshul Tuten – 1 fumble every 41 touches
Jaydon Blue – 1 fumble every 30 touches
When forecasting potential, ball security is a critical item to account for. pic.twitter.com/eGEAgubJvI
— AngeloFF (@angelo_fantasy) April 3, 2025
2. An all-or-nothing athlete.
Look, one of the great qualities of an athlete is the ability to hit a home run, but that can be one of the worst qualities in an athlete if they cannot always deliver. Tuten always swings for the fences, and it is fantastic and highlight-worthy when he hits it, but not so great when he doesn’t. Tuten had an inefficient 43% third-down conversion rate in the last two seasons, courtesy of TruMedia. Sometimes, you just need to move the chains, and Tuten will have to learn how to do that if he wants a career in the NFL.
3. Lack of plays against NFL-level competition.
Sure, Tuten looks like a solid prospect, but with his athletic profile against his college competition, he should. The competition level while he was at NC A&T was average to put it kindly, and although Virginia Tech was a step up, it is a far cry from the level of defenders he will see in the NFL. Can Tuten handle the big leagues? Time will tell.
Fantasy Outlook
Paging any NFL team with the Shanahan system. Can I interest you in Bhayshul Tuten for a zone scheme in these trying times?
You don’t have to tell Tuten twice; the man would love a zone scheme, and the numbers show it. Two-thirds of his rushing attempts in 2024 came outside the tackles, where you can see his feet planted solidly and him pressing the edge. Last year at Virginia Tech, he had 137 rushes that were zone concept against only 46 that were gap. We constantly say how important draft capital is for these rookies, but it is vital for Tuten. If he is not drafted to a team that employs an outside zone scheme, I don’t see a gamble worth taking with Tuten in your fantasy drafts.
According to PFF, Tuten had the 12th highest amount of zone plays among RBs in this class and a significant dropoff in his rushing grade on zone plays compared to man.
NFLMockdraftdatabase.com mocks Tuten frequently in Round 4 of the NFL draft, the 11th RB off the board, and we know that we rarely get a fantasy-relevant RB drafted that late. Again, this year’s large quality RB class will skew slightly the results of when an RB is drafted. Why would teams pull the trigger on an RB they love earlier in the draft when they have a tier of several that they are ok with later on? That being said, I could see a team falling in love with the big play upside and pulling the trigger on Tuten on Day 3. The website is mocking Tuten frequently to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but be on the lookout if a team pays up and takes Tuten early.
I am concerned about Tuten’s ability to change and adapt. In two years at Virginia Tech, he had zero runs under center. Every single snap was pistol or shotgun, which is not how the NFL works. Tuten’s potential rides high on the system he is drafted to, and he would have a great chance to succeed with the Niners, Dolphins, or Rams. A RB3 in San Francisco or Miami? I see a strong chance.
Tuten’s ball security issues also give me a slight pause, as I think NFL teams will also have. He will have to prove he can hold onto the ball if he is to be a three-down back, and with his slightly smaller stature, I think teams will shy away from giving him that much play. Tuten will be a great change of pace back.