The 2024 NFL Draft lacked a lot of sizzle at the running back position, with just one RB selected before the third round. That figures to change in 2025, and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is a good early candidate to be one of the first RBs selected next April.
Jeanty is a compactly built 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds, though he has stated this offseason that he packed on a few more pounds of muscle. For a back of his style, the extra bulk won’t hurt him one bit.
Jeanty has very good vision and reads blocks exceptionally well as he gets the handoff. He’s a decisive runner; no wasted motion, no second thoughts or dancing into a gap. Boise’s run blocking in front of him was strong, notably in power-gap scheme, and Jeanty aggressively attacks the gaps. It’s rare to see Jeanty not find the hole or choose the wrong path.
He’s not a speed back. The biggest knock on Jeanty that I can see is his lack of breakaway speed; he will get caught from behind in the open field regularly. The upshot is that Jeanty understands he’s not going to win footraces very often, and he’s got really keen balance and subtle hip and foot tricks when he’s getting caught that help him maximize his yardage. That was especially evident in Boise State’s games against Memphis and Air Force.
Where Jeanty really augments his value is his work in the passing game. There might not be a better receiving RB in college football entering 2024. He caught 44 passes on 48 targets, showing excellent hands. While the routes typically weren’t more sophisticated than swings or backside outlets, Jeanty made the most of them. The instant transition from receiver to runner is something that NFL teams will love. His ability to angle and veer while at full speed nicely compensates for the lack of home-run speed.
Short-yardage and between-the-tackles work, which looks like something his body type and north-south style would excel at, is something of a mixed bag. If the initial hole isn’t there, Jeanty doesn’t have a lot of improvisational ability. He also falls in love a little too much with his spin move, which is great at times but also gets predictable when binging on his game tape.
Overall, Jeanty is a very impressive prospect for a team looking for a hard-nosed back with plus receiving skills and the ability to make the first tackler miss. He would have been in the mix for the top RB grade in the ’24 draft class and I suspect he’ll do that in 2025, too.