Former Michigan running back Donovan Edwards came into the 2025 NFL Draft projected to be a Day 3 pick but fell out of the draft altogether. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets shortly after the draft ended.
Can Donovan Edwards Make the Cut With the Jets?
The 6-1, 212-pound Edwards had a promising first two collegiate seasons. As a true freshman in 2021, he rushed 35 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He also had 20 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown and threw a 75-yard touchdown pass in the Big Ten Championship Game against Iowa.
He broke out in his sophomore year when he logged 140 carries for 991 rushing yards (7.1 yards per carry) and scored seven touchdowns. He partered with Blake Corum to give Michigan a strong running game and was named Big Ten Championship Game MVP after rushing for 185 yards and a touchdown.
However, he started to tail off in his junior year, gaining 746 total yards and scoring five touchdowns. Having said that, he stepped up when it mattered most. In the National Championship Game, Edwards (104 yards) and Corum (134 yards) became the first teammates to run for over 100 yards each in the title game. Edwards also became the first player in the BCS era to have two rushing touchdowns over 40 yards in the title game.
2024 was supposed to be Edwards’ year. Blake Corum had moved on to the NFL, drafted in the third round by the Los Angeles Rams, giving Edwards a chance to become the feature back. Unfortunately, he started slow and was bumped out of the starting spot by Kalel Mullings, who outran him 948 yards to 589. Mullings was drafted in the sixth round by the Tennessee Titans.
The key for Edwards will be patience and taking advantage of any opportunity he gets. Even with the drop-off in production, he still has a great combo of size and speed that makes him a home run threat. Just look at his two breakaway runs in the NCAA title game and his 32.5% career rushing yards on runs of 15 yards or more.
He’s solid out of the backfield with a career drop percentage of just 2.6, and his agility gives him an advantage against second-level defenders after he catches the ball. However, he’s never been a lead back. So while he hasn’t suffered from overuse, he hasn’t taken control of the lead spot either. He’s not as good at breaking tackles as his size and frame would suggest, possibly because he runs too upright.
Even then, this is a back who has performed extremely well on the big stage. A lot of his “failures” could be attributed to Michigan’s offense regressing after the departure of former head coach Jim Harbaugh and the team establishing a new identity.
Thanks to the presence of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, he’s likely to start the season on the practice squad. But a great camp performance and making the roster could prove he’s a steal in undrafted free agency.