Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty burst onto the national scene during the 2024 season, rushing his way to a 2nd place finish in the Heisman Trophy vote and the 2nd-most rushing yards in a single-season in college football history, just 27 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ long-standing record. Predictably, Jeanty decided to forego his remaining college eligibility to make the jump to the NFL, where he’s expected to be the first running back off the board on April 24th.
But where Ashton Jeanty will ultimately be selected remains something of a mystery. The ever-changing relationship between NFL teams and running backs has made Jeanty’s draft stock tough to gauge, though as we get closer to the opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft, there does seem to be a consensus building related to Jeanty’s eventual landing spot.
As far as the furthest down the draft board that Jeanty will fall, it seems far-fetched that he’d slip past Dallas at #12. Given what the Bears were able to do in free agency, addressing needs on both the offensive and defensive lines, has likely opened the door for Chicago to select the Boise State back if he’s available at #10. But considering the ‘generational’ tag that many have placed next to Ashton Jeanty’s name, it’s starting to look like he’ll go even higher than that.
As of Thursday morning, Todd McShay, Mel Kiper Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah all have Jeanty mocked to the Las Vegas Raiders with the 6th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Just as is the case with the Bears, Vegas’ offseason addition of Geno Smith has potentially unlocked the Raiders as a suitable landing spot for Jeanty. Many expected the Raiders would use the 6th overall pick in the draft on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, whose landing spot is just as uncertain as Jeanty’s, but now that the Raiders have Smith in the fold, they can turn their attention elsewhere.
Where they turn their attention remains to be seen, but new head coach Pete Carroll’s past may be an indication of what’s to come in the future. During the peak of Carroll’s tenure as the head coach of the Seahawks, Seattle ranked in the top three in rushing attempts in six of eight seasons. In each of those six seasons they also ranked in the top four in rushing yards. If Carroll wants to continue prioritizing establishing the run, there may not be a better way to do so than to draft Ashton Jeanty.
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