Ashton Jeanty = NFL Franchise Running Back

First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst Rajvir Bal is enamored with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

There’s one name every college football fan heard a lot in 2024: Boise State running back, Ashton Jeanty.

He made enough noise on the field playing for a smaller college program that he became a finalist for the 2024 Heisman Trophy.

Jeanty was so popular amongst fans that according to Yahoo Sports, he won the fan’s Heisman vote.

The people’s Heisman.

It was his jaw-dropping highlights that won them over ⎯and Jeanty began shooting up mainstream draft media boards (nflmockdraftdatabase.com).

Background

Jeanty was a 4-star prospect out of high school and committed to Boise State in the Fall of 2021 (247Sports). Jeanty was a three sport athlete in high school playing basketball, football and he ran track.

It’s worth noting that in the college football offseason of 2024, Jeanty had an opportunity to transfer away from Boise State for an exorbitant amount of NIL money, but stayed loyal to Boise State and led them to the College Football Playoffs.

Jeanty’s rushing and receiving stats:

2023:

Rushing: 220 carries for 1,347 yards (6.1 average), and 14 touchdowns

Receiving: 43 receptions for 569 yards (13.2 average), and 5 touchdowns

2024:

Rushing: 374 carries for 2,601 yards (7.0 average), and 29 touchdowns

Receiving: 23 receptions for 138 yards (6.0 average), and 1 touchdown

#2 Ashton Jeanty 5-foot-9, 215 pounds 
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)
Projected by 80.1% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of March 7, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2024 game film reviewed: Penn State, UNLV, and Oregon (click to view games watched to form this evaluation) 

He’s a Natural

Jeanty was born to play the game.

That’s the kind of mind and athletic ability Jeanty has.

It’s special to watch.

He has something only a handful of players in the NFL have. When he gets going, good luck stopping him. He hits openings on the field ⎯holes⎯with violence and speed. He’s also always giving it his all.

Best Player on the Field

No one was even close to his talent level in the games I watched.

Jeanty transforms the game.

He single-handily carried Boise State to wins over teams that had better rosters.

They couldn’t stop him.

Is he powerful?

Absolutely.

Jeanty rarely goes down on first contact and he can be seen dragging defenders with him.

HE RARELY GETS STUFFED.

The way he hits gaps and holes just doesn’t allow for defenders to tackle him easily. He’s always in the mix of things and pushing the piles.

Is he quick?

I wrestled with this and the answer is no.

One of the notes I jotted down was that Jeanty doesn’t have the freshest legs. It’s true. Jeanty isn’t as much “fast” as he is elusive. What he lacks in straight-line speed, he makes up with shiftiness and power. However, his home-run hitting long-distance running is something that needs to be talked about.

The key is defenses need to stop him BEFORE he gets going.

Wild in a good way

Jeanty looks like he’s out of control when he’s running, but he is actually in control. He bounces off contact, bounces around and it looks “chaotic.”

Under other circumstances, this would be a negative in my mind, but with Jeanty, it’s a positive.

Ten Adjectives

Explosive. Physical. Sluggish. Relentless. Powerful. Shifty. Tough. Dynamic. Instinctive. Unbalanced.

NFL Crystal Ball

Las Vegas Raiders

Dallas Cowboys

Chicago Bears

Pro Comp: Maurice Jones-Drew

After beginning his pro career as a second-round draft choice of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2006, Jones-Drew played in 126 games over nine seasons. He amassed 8,167 yards and 68 touchdowns on the ground.

Final Thoughts

Long-term franchise running backs are rare—once in a blue moon…and in the 2025 NFL Draft, that blue moon is shining bright.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.