Makhi Hughes Scouting Report

Makhi Hughes is an explosive running back with a dynamic blend of vision, lateral agility, and acceleration, allowing him to create big plays and consistently produce positive yardage on the ground.

Draft Grade: Round 2 - Winning Starter

Strengths:

Acceleration: Hughes is a quick accelerator both through the line of scrimmage and in the open field. He can defeat defenders’ angles and gain chunk yardage in a hurry.

Production: Since his freshman year, Hughes has been a productive starter, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons.

Vision: Hughes possesses excellent vision, quickly identifying frontside and backside creases in the line. At the second level, he consistently chooses the path that maximizes yardage.

Lateral Agility: Hughes demonstrates high-end lateral agility, making instant cuts to evade defenders or reach the correct hole. His vision and agility work in tandem, allowing him to attack openings effectively.

Concerns:

Size: Hughes appears to be right on the threshold for the size NFL teams prefer in an RB1, full-workload type back. His size may push teams toward finding a complementary piece to help manage the workload.

Top-End Speed: Hughes does a good job of hitting his top-end speed, but once that speed is reached, he is often caught by defenders in pursuit.

Passing Game: At this point in his career, Hughes has had limited usage in the passing game, both in running routes and pass protection. This element of his game could be an area that needs further development.

Makhi Hughes Summary/Projection:

Makhi Hughes is a junior prospect who began his collegiate career at Tulane University, rushing for over 1,300 yards in back-to-back seasons. For the 2025 season, Hughes transferred to the University of Oregon to assume a prominent role as the starting running back for a program that has produced recent draft prospects like Bucky Irving (2023) and Jordan James (2024). Hughes is a proven production back with a strong blend of explosiveness, lateral agility, and vision. He is scheme versatile, though his most explosive plays tend to come from inside and outside zone run concepts.

On zone runs—whether inside or outside—Hughes demonstrates excellent vision, quickly scanning the line of scrimmage to identify running lanes. He is a quick-accelerating back who understands the principle of getting through the hole efficiently. Hughes can condense his frame to squeeze through tight gaps, using his quickness to reach the second level and beat defenders to the hole. On occasion, he lowers his pads to run through arm tackles at both the first and second levels of the defense.

Hughes also possesses an element of elusiveness. Whether behind the line of scrimmage or at the second level, he can string together lateral cuts to evade defenders and create additional space. He is a quick-twitch athlete who keeps defenders off balance with his combination of agility and speed, allowing him to either evade tackles or simply outrun defenders who react too slowly. Overall, Hughes has the speed, athleticism, and vision to make game-changing plays and possesses the ceiling to be a three-down playmaker at the running back position.

The primary area of concern for Hughes as an NFL prospect is his overall size and ability to consistently run between the tackles. Listed just over 200 pounds, Hughes’ most effective plays often come on the perimeter. The key question is whether he can reliably handle inside runs or if he will need to be paired with a bigger, bruising back to manage short-yardage and power situations.