Typically, there isn’t an overload of running backs worth top-50 NFL Draft picks, but some years present exceptions. One of a few legitimate prospects for the 2025 class is Boise State star Ashton Jeanty, who exploded into his junior season Saturday with a ridiculous 20-carry, 267-yard, six-touchdown day in a 56-45 win over Georgia Southern. The six-TD total was a Boise State single-game record and tied the Mountain West Conference mark.
Jeanty took a counter play 77 yards for a touchdown on his second carry of the year, running through two tacklers and then pulling away from everyone else — showing off his burst, speed, balance and vision all at once. In the end zone after, Jeanty struck the Heisman pose.
📺 ESPNU#BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/IfgJCmTqku
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) August 31, 2024
He was at it again later in the first quarter, when he bent back an outside zone, complete with a mid-field spin, and turned it into a 26-yard touchdown run. In the first half alone, Jeanty had 12 carries for 146 yards and four touchdowns, and he forced more than a half-dozen missed tackles. His touchdown yardages on the day: 77, 75, 26, 5, 1, 1.
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At 5-foot-8, 217 pounds with muscle everywhere, Jeanty’s built low to the ground and is completely allergic to being tackled, be it in space or in the box. Even his 2- and 3-yard runs are impressive, as it often takes half the defensive line to bring him down. Jeanty creates a ton of force as he cuts and shifts without really losing momentum, and he is in no way afraid of contact.
The topper for him is that he’s able to do this out of the backfield as a receiver, too. In addition to his 267 rushing yards Saturday, Jeanty also caught three passes (for 4 yards) and figures to be a heavy part of Boise State’s third-down offense.
GO DEEPER2025 NFL Mock Draft: 3 QBs in top 15; James Pearce Jr., Abdul Carter go 1-2As we head into September, the RB1 discussion seems to be between Jeanty, Oklahoma State star Ollie Gordon II (146 total yards and three TDs Saturday in a win over South Dakota State) and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton (146 total yards Thursday in a win over Minnesota). And though Jeanty only figures to get better as the season wears on, he’s also likely going to handle the ball a ton again this season.
He entered Saturday with 433 career touches (376 rushing attempts, 57 catches), and he missed two games last year with a lower-body injury. After his 75-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that tied the conference single-game record, Jeanty was slow to get up because of an apparent leg cramp.
Still, in terms of the full package, Jeanty’s game merits a top-50 pick. We will have to monitor his durability and health, however, especially if he’s asked to handle a heavy workload this season.
Dane Brugler’s scouting report
Jeanty ranked No. 25 overall and as the top running back on Brugler’s initial top-50 board.
After a promising freshman campaign, Jeanty announced himself as one of the nation’s top runners last season as a sophom*ore. Despite battling a midseason injury, he rushed for 1,347 yards on 220 carries (6.1 average) and 14 touchdowns. With his natural receiving skills, Jeanty also posted 43 receptions for 569 yards (13.2 average) and zero drops. In the new age of name, image and likeness, numerous schools pursued Jeanty, who had an FBS-best 1,916 yards from scrimmage in 2023, but the star runner mentioned his “legacy” and “love” for Boise State as reasons to stay.
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I have watched tape on almost 1,000 draft-eligible prospects so far this summer, but I can comfortably say Jeanty has been one of my favorites, because of the frequent magic acts he pulls with the football in his hands. The man hates to be tackled. Factor in his impressive receiving skills, and Jeanty has separated himself as my RB1 entering the 2024 season.
(Photo: Jesse Beals / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nick Baumgardner is a senior writer/NFL Draft analyst based in Michigan. He co-hosts “One of These Years," a Detroit Lions podcast with Colton Pouncy. He joined The Athletic after stops at the Detroit Free Press, MLive Media Group and other newspapers in Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky. Follow Nick on Twitter @nickbaumgardner
