Ashton Jeanty put on a display of epic proportions in his third and final year with the Boise State Broncos. He rushed for a whopping 2,601 yards, leading the nation by a country mile and falling just 27 yards short of Barry Sanders’ NCAA record. He also chipped in 29 rushing touchdowns, earning himself the Maxwell Award, the Doak Walker Award, and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
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Jeanty also finished second behind two-way phenomenon Travis Hunter in a very contentious Heisman race while also earning unanimous All-American honors. All those accolades in 2024 made him one of the most highly touted players in the 2025 NFL Draft class. ESPN currently ranks him as their fifth-best prospect. However, he likely won’t crack the top five on draft day because of his position.
Much of the pre-draft conversation has centered around the top quarterbacks, along with two-way star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. That’s left Jeanty flying a bit under the radar.
However, according to ESPN insider Peter Schrager, Hunter and Carter are the only true blue-chip prospects in this class, alongside Jeanty. But while those two are considered locks for the top five, Schrager says, Jeanty is expected to slip just outside that range.
“You go name by name, and really, there’s only two blue chip prospects across the board when I talk to these GMs. And that’s Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter, and then Ashton Jeanty is one of those guys, but you wouldn’t draft him likely in the top three. Other than that, it’s wide open,” said Schrager on the Pat McAfee Show.
The responses to Schrager were all different, but all the same. There were fans of different teams echoing the same message: We want Jeanty. One Chiefs fan quipped, “Buddy needs to fall to 31 for a bright future,” referring to K.C.’s No. 31 overall pick from that Super Bowl loss.
Chicago picks at No. 10, so Bears fans were also hoping Schrager was right about him falling out of the top three: “Hopefully not he’s coming to Chicago“.
While most assume the New York Giants will take whoever is left at No. 3 between Hunter and Carter, one fan of Big Blue made the case for taking Jeanty there:
“Jeanty would fill the hole Saquon left, Tracey is a fumble machine who’s athleticism is cool but meant for limited carries, Jeanty would force stacked box looks that would give more Nabers open looks. Also, Carter didn’t have the best season since Derrick Thomas.”
Jeanty would fill the hole Saquon left, Tracey is a fumble machine who’s athleticism is cool but meant for limited Carrie’s, Jeanty would force stacked box looks that would give more Nabers open looks. Also Carter didn’t have the best season since Derrick Thomas.
— LCHamm (@MartacusRising) April 15, 2025
Jeanty is looking to make running backs great again. They have been ill-treated on draft day over the last few years. Since 2018, only two RBs (Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson) have been selected in the top 10. Jonathon Brooks was the first RB off the board last year, and he didn’t hear his name called until No. 46 overall on Day 2.
At this point, Jeanty seems likely to be headed to the Strip to join the Las Vegas Raiders. If he does, he’ll become the third top-ten running back selected in the last eight NFL drafts. Jeanty is currently the odds-on favorite (-145) to go No. 6 overall, where the Raiders are picking—unless they trade up or down.
