Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.

One of the Steelers’ top-30 visits, K-State’s D.J. Giddens is a candidate to watch if Pittsburgh drafts a running back in the middle rounds.

Position: Running back

Class: Redshirt junior

Size: 6’0, 212 pounds

Age: 21

Projected draft round: 3

Stats via Sports Reference

In an insanely deep running back class, D.J. Giddens might be a name who’s a little bit underrated. He’s entering the NFL Draft coming off two straight 1,200-plus-yard seasons, with a career average of six yards per rush.

I’ll start off this scouting report with the caveat that some of Giddens’ highlights say more about his offensive line and/or bad Big 12 defenses than his actual ability, but I still believe that he has a skill set that will transfer to the NFL level.

Giddens has solid size at 6’0, 212 pounds, but he’s a deceptively smooth, agile runner. He doesn’t have consistent, home run speed, but he can make defenders miss in the open field and effortlessly cut behind the line of scrimmage. His games are full of chunk gains (No. 31 in all clips).

Giddens’ tape doesn’t scream speed, but his 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the Combine was the same as popular speedster TreVeyon Henderson. He’s certainly not slow.

Giddens wins with his patience behind the line of scrimmage, quick cuts, and the ability to get skinny and dart through holes in the defense. His vision is one of the top assets in his game, and it makes him a scheme-versatile runner at the next level.

The biggest hole in Giddens’ game is the lack of any true elite traits. As you can gather from the clips above, his lateral quickness is really impressive but he’s not an elite straight-line accelerator. Giddens also doesn’t run with a whole lot of power. He has good effort and falls forward, but he isn’t going to be moving scrums and can get stopped in his tracks by defenders with his high center of gravity.

Giddens does have excellent contact balance, though. He won’t be trucking many defenders, but he can take hits.

As a pass-catcher, Giddens struggles to make grabs outside of his frame, and he was often late to turn his head around when leaking out of the backfield. However, he showed the ability to contribute and has room to grow there in the NFL.

Similarly, his pass protection reps are all over the place. He has flashes but needs to consistently identify and sustain blocks better.

Giddens doesn’t strike me as a surefire feature back in the NFL, but he has a solid baseline of abilities with room to grow and a better-than-expected athletic profile. He’s a strong option in the group of middle-round running backs the Steelers seem to be eyeing.

D.J. Giddens strengths

Patient; great vision; light on his feet behind the line of scrimmage
Knows when to get vertical as a runner
Good combination of size and speed; deceptively shifty
Excellent contact balance; always falling forward
Consistent production for the last two years

Weaknesses

Lacks great power; not a pile-mover
Slow to get his head around as a pass-catcher; doesn’t make difficult catches
Longer strides; not the quickest accelerator; lacks true home-run speed
Split carries at Kansas State

Hot and cold in pass protection

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com

A productive runner with good size, Giddens lacks explosive elements in his game. He defies expectations as a big back who doesn’t run with heavy power. He’s a long-strider with wiggle between the tackles. He’s patient behind his blocks and quickly processes run-lane development. He’s not sudden and lacks the burst to outflank defenses, so running behind his pads and picking up the tough yardage inside might have to be his ticket into a rotation.

Hogs Haven

D.J. Giddens is a big productive running back who was able to carry the workload for his team as the bell-cow back. He boasts quick, clean footwork and patience in the backfield for holes to develop. He is also a capable receiver in the backfield with natural hands and he’s able to get open in scramble drills. Despite the combination of size, Giddens play strength does not match it. He is not a pile mover and unable to break tackles without a running start. He has the size to be a capable pass blocker but needs to work on his technique and rely less on diving. All in all, Giddens is an elusive, well-rounded running back prospect who has the capability to carry the workload. He is seen as a middle round selection with a wide variance.

Daniel Harms of The Draft Network

Strengths: Pressing the line of scrimmage; Lateral agility; Reading blocks; Body control … Concerns: Explosiveness; Passing-down consistency; Pass-protection technique … Giddens is a scheme-versatile, savvy runner with the tools to carve out a nice role on early downs in a committee backfield. If he wants to be more than that, working on his third-down capabilities will unlock a more impactful role in the NFL. Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits

While Giddens won’t replicate Najee Harris’ power, he could provide the smooth zone-running skill set the Steelers have needed in their running back room under Arthur Smith. His lack of elite power or acceleration make it a little worrying with how often he could get hit in the Pittsburgh backfield, but his excellent vision alleviates some of those concerns.

Giddens’ rough edges in the passing game will hinder his usefulness early on, but on a team like Pittsburgh with a committee of Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, he wouldn’t be asked to do too much too early. Overall, I’m a fan of the fit.

TL;DR: Giddens is a productive Big 12 runner whose skill set is somewhere in between an early-down and third-down back — not quite enough speed or pass-catching ability, but not a ton of power, either. However, he consistently wins with great vision and surprising elusiveness, and should find a role at the NFL level.

What are your thoughts on Kansas State running back D.J. Giddens? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!