Bhayshul Tuten might not be the biggest running back to have graced a college football field, but he makes up for it with his receiving skills out of the backfield. After four seasons in the NCAA, Tuten is preparing himself for the upcoming NFL Draft, hoping to hear his name get called as early as possible.
Height: 5 ft – 9 in
Weight: 206 lb
Age: 22
Position: Running Back
College: Virginia Tech
College Career Summary:
Tuten started his collegiate career at North Carolina A&T. In his first season with the school, he was still getting adjusted to his playing time. He had 215 rushing yards and three touchdowns, partnered up with 230 receiving yards and another touchdown through the air. The next season saw him completely jump his numbers. In 2022, he rushed for 1,363 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, along with 342 receiving yards and four additional touchdowns. His potential was truly shining now, and he used that newfound attention to transfer to Virginia Tech. Similar to what happened when he first started college, Tuten needed a year to get adjusted to a new system. His first year with Virginia Tech saw him rush for 863 yards and 10 touchdowns along with 239 receiving yards and two more touchdowns. Then came his senior campaign, with the same school, as he rushed for 1,159 yards and 15 touchdowns. He only had 82 receiving yards this season but scored two receiving touchdowns anyway. Walking away from college, Tuten was able to get awarded two Second Team All-ACC honors in both 2023 and 2024 for Virginia Tech. Despite a slow start to his career as a freshman, Tuten only improved over the three seasons that followed, making a big impact on the passing game and the rushing game. Improving his touchdown numbers substantially during that stretch.
2024 Season
Games Played: 11
Yards: 1,159 rushing, 81 receiving
Touchdowns: 15 rushing, two receiving
Career Stats:
- 45 games played
- 3,600 rushing yards
- 50 total touchdowns
- 601 rush attempts
- 91 receptions
Passing/Rushing/Receiving/Defensive Metrics:
- 0 yards per carry throughout his career
- 8 yards per reception throughout his career
- 892 career receiving yards
Strengths:
- Explosive runner who can reach top gear quickly
- Outstanding contact balance
- Dangerous receiver, natural hands, threat in the screen game
- Tough runner between the tackles despite size
- Patient while allowing blocks to set up
- Special teams’ standout
Weaknesses:
- Pass protection needs significant improvement
- Lacking elite lateral agility
- Minor ball security issues
- Suffered ankle injury late-season that hindered explosiveness
High Pressure Situations/Clutch Gene:
Unfortunately, we haven’t had the privilege of watching Tuten in many high-pressure situations or clutch games. In 2023, we got to see him compete against Tulane during the Military Bowl, and he showed out. Tuten rushed 18 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 19 yards and lost a fumble. The fumble wasn’t ideal, but the team still won 41-20 anyway, many thanks to his great rushing day. In 2024, he had a great game against seventh-ranked Miami, rushing 19 times for 141 yards and a touchdown during the team’s loss. However, in the previous season, we saw him rush eight times for 29 yards and a touchdown during a loss against the fifth-ranked FSU squad. Tuten doesn’t have many big games against ranked opponents, so the information here is limited, but he’s played well in games that he’s seen all the way through. Some of his bad performances are due to the team getting torn apart early on, making them completely abandon the run game altogether. Even in those instances, we’ve seen Tuten rack up a few receptions to even out his numbers, even if it isn’t much. He’s a contributor at the end of the day.
NFL Projection And Fantasy Relevance:
Tuten is currently projected to be taken in the fifth round or later in the upcoming draft. I think it’s a fair projection for him, considering his low experience against high-ranking competition coupled with his limited frame. However, I do like his skills and believe they’ll translate to playing time at the next level, even if it’s minimal. This leads me straight into fantasy relevance. For both standard and dynasty formats, Tuten has value. He excelled as a pass catcher for four years in college, and you know that NFL scouts love running backs who can space the field with their recreational skills. This will likely get him some playing time for whichever team selects him. On top of that, he’s shown an ability to become an ace on special teams. This is another reason for him to see the field and make the final 53-man roster. So, for either standard or dynasty formats, Tuten can see small playing time as a rookie and could grow into something much more down the line if he gets developed properly. I wouldn’t immediately count him out due to his height, we’ve seen guys of his size do great work at the NFL level, including someone like Darren Sproles.
Tuten is the type of player that I would love to grab in the later rounds of the draft, especially if you want more help at the running back position. Sure, he doesn’t have the potential to be a workhorse superstar like Saquon Barkley, but he still provides value that is hard to find. He’s a running back with elite acceleration with natural hands out of the backfield. He can be an ace on special teams in a return man role while also finding his way into snaps as a receiver if the offensive coordinator wants to move him around to different places. Guys like Tuten help teams win the chess match against defenses due to the unpredictability of them lining up in multiple places. I don’t think Tuten will turn out to be this massive star in the league, though he will get an opportunity to make his mark on a roster, whether that’s on special teams or not.
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