How High Could Ashton Jeanty Go In 2025 NFL Draft?

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty put forth another breathtaking performance in Saturday's 45-24 victory over Washington State. Jeanty rushed for 259 yards and four touchdowns, making it his third multi-touchdown performance of the campaign, and his second 200-yard showing in four contests. The Heisman contender is entering the top-15 discussion for the 2025 NFL Draft.

It was another videogame-like showing for the nation's most talented running back. Jeanty entered the 2024 campaign as a mid-round prospect. There's no reason to believe he hasn't elevated his pre-draft stock to first-round status.

Jeanty began the campaign with a historic 267-yard, six-touchdown performance against Georgia Southern. The follow-up display was a 192-yard, three-TD showing versus Oregon. Jeanty has already proven capable of taking over a game no matter the opponent.

Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders holds college football's single-season rushing yards record with 2,628 at Oklahoma State in 1988. In total, Jeanty has rushed for 845 yards and 13 touchdowns (!) in four games while averaging an unheard-of 10.3 yards per carry. Through four contests, Jeanty's on pace to shatter Sanders' 36-year-old record by rushing for 2,746 yards in 13 contests. It properly captures his early-season dominance.

Jeanty is RB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft and he’s leaving his competition in the dust. He runs with terrific contact balance and possesses the vision and patience required to identify, and attack, rushing lanes. Jeanty told The Draft Network that his low center of gravity gives him an advantage, and it’s obvious when conducting the film study.

Jeanty's opening touchdown was arguably one of the greatest single-play examples of contact balance ever. Jeanty eludes literally about seven or eight would-be tackle attempts while bouncing off defenders en route to an explosive 64-yard touchdown. NFL scouts trip over themselves searching for running back prospects that can absorb this type of contact.

Jeanty later did something similar, initially moving east-west in the backfield to avoid a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Jeanty eventually gets upfield and defeats several more tackling attempts for a 59-yard score. The Broncos standout quite literally dragged defenders for the final 10 yards en route to the end zone.

Jeanty only has six receptions in four games this season, with Boise State opting to lean on his ongoing historical streak as a pure runner, but he's proven to be a dual-threat weapon. The Jacksonville, Florida native finished the 2023 campaign with 43 receptions for 569 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Jeanty's capable pass-catching abilities will only increase his pre-draft stock and lessen the chances of teams dropping him down their big boards. He's a complete prospect.

The 2024 NFL Draft lacked an elite running back prospect. In 2023, the league proved they'll still draft a running back prospect highly when Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs went No. 8 and 12 overall respectively. Jeanty is made in that mold and is currently proving he deserves to be drafted in that range.