The NFL is about to welcome another standout running back this year—Ashton Jeanty—one who will keep his opponents on their toes. It appears he’s already neck and neck with the league’s best, like Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, in his ability to squat an ungodly amount of weight. The dynamic 5-foot-9 stud out of Boise State is an exciting prospect for that very reason, projected to go within the first six to 12 picks of the 2025 Draft.
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Before his sophomore year in college, it was reported that Jeanty could squat 575 pounds. His Boise State coaches marveled at his strength, assuming this would be the max. But they were very much wrong. Now, Jeanty can squat 605 pounds “easily,” putting him up there with some of the NFL’s strongest skill players.
In high school, Jalen Hurts squatted a whopping 570 pounds as well, earning himself a scholarship to Alabama. In college, though, he got even stronger. By the time Hurts prepared to go to the NFL, he was setting personal bests with Oklahoma squatting up to 600 pounds. An incredible amount of weight, but still five pounds shy of Jeanty.
When Jalen Hurts squatted nearly 600 lbs …
SHEESH (via @ou_football) pic.twitter.com/VMlUeSmkTS
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 7, 2020
Hurts’ squatting ability looks like it comes into play whenever he does a QB sneak—or a “tush push” as they call it in Philadelphia. He drives his legs through insane amounts of opposing weight to gain critical first downs and touchdowns.
Saquon Barkley is also a guy known for being able to squat a ton of weight. In 2017 at Penn State, a video of him went viral ahead of the Draft, squatting seven reps of 495 pounds. In the 2023 offseason, a video recorded him maxing out at 585 pounds. Now, being teammates with Hurts, there are reports that the two have squatting competitions that go over 600 pounds.
Unofficially, Barkley says that he can squat 650-700 pounds if he wants to. This makes sense because his quad muscles measure out to a thick 28 inches.
As if Saquon’s clean wasn’t impressive, here he is squatting 525 for 5 reps this morning pic.twitter.com/fa3nYA6joi
— Chance Sorrell (@Chanman158811) June 30, 2017
So, could we be on the verge of another Saquon with Jeanty? It’s possible. The latter stands a bit shorter than the Eagles star, about three inches to be exact. And while Jeanty is bigger for his size, weighing 215 pounds, that’s still 15 pounds lighter than Saquon.
He’ll need to add more weight if he wants to compete with the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. But it’s well within the range of outcomes for Jeanty to develop in a similar fashion.
However, he has other intangibles that make him an elite running back prospect. Jeanty has an elite vision far more mature than any other backs in the field. He also has good hands and is a reliable pass-catcher.
Whoever ends up with him is going to have an exciting young guy to work with who could turn into the cornerstone of the franchise. One team he’d fit perfectly with is the Dallas Cowboys at pick number 12. But he could very well go higher than that if another team in the top 10 sees promise in his skill set.
