The NFL’s running back renaissance has led to a greater appreciation for elite backs in the 2025 NFL Draft. While skeptics still debate the merits of taking a running back in the first round, the success of recent first-rounders such as Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs should encourage more team builders to invest in blue-chip prospects at the position.
With the 2025 class featuring a “can’t-miss” star in Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, the NFL scouting community could see another runner come off the board with a top-10 pick reflecting his game-changer potential. After taking some time to study the game-changing back with 4,769 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns over three seasons, including a 2,601-yard campaign with 29 rushing scores, I understand why the football world is clamoring over the two-time Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.
Here are my thoughts on the consensus RB1 on draft boards around the league:
Strengths: The 5-foot-8, 211-pounder is the total package at the position, as a spectacular runner/receiver with a blue-collar mentality and blue-chip game. Jeanty displays a unique combination of speed, power, balance and body control, enabling him to elude, evade and eviscerate defenders in traffic. The Boise State standout flashes the wiggle, burst and bounce to produce a big play whenever he touches the ball, but also runs with the discipline, patience, and “pop” to pick up the “dirty” yards between the tackles.
As a workhorse runner with 18 career games with 20-plus carries, including nine games with at least 30 rushing attempts, Jeanty exhibits the competitive stamina and world-class fitness that old-school NFL coaches covet in an RB1. He is a spectacular sledgehammer who exhibits the physicality and toughness to run through arm tackles and glancing blows within the hole. He also shows the stop-start quickness and burst to run away from defenders in space.
Due to his soft hands and dynamic running skills, Jeanty is an explosive playmaker on swings and screens in the passing game. He has totaled 66 catches since 2023, exhibiting big play potential on high-percentage passes out of the backfield. Jeanty is also an electric runner in the open field, displaying the wiggle and burst to weave in and out of traffic.
Weaknesses: Like most young running backs, Jeanty is a work in progress as a pass protector. He lacks the experience and expertise to effectively shut down would-be pass rushers as a part of their “double read” assignments. Though his shoddy blocking technique can be improved with more reps on the practice field and in games, Jeanty could be a liability in pass protection as a young player.
The Boise State product enters the league after logging 750 rushing attempts over three seasons, including a 374-carry campaign in 2024. While he has displayed outstanding stamina and durability, shouldering a heavy workload, the cumulative effect of carrying the rock could shorten Jeanty’s prime as a pro.
Pro Comparison: Josh Jacobs
The 2023 NFL rushing champion has posted four 1,000-yard seasons as the feature back of the Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers, exhibiting exceptional balance, body control and power as a dynamic runner between the tackles. Jeanty displays similar traits with a patient running style that showcases his outstanding balance, body control and agility between the tackles. With the Boise State standout looking like a perennial 1,500-yard rusher with scoring from anywhere talent, NFL coaches and scouts could view Jeanty as a Jacobs clone during the pre-draft process.
Perfect Team Fits
Las Vegas Raiders: If Pete Carroll follows the blueprint that helped him win Super Bowl XLVIII, he could view Jeanty as the Marshawn Lynch-like chess piece that allows the Raiders to control the board. As a “three-down” playmaker with exceptional running and receiving skills, the Boise State product is the dynamic weapon the Silver-and-Black needs to whip opponents utilizing an old school formula (strong running game + stingy defense = wins) that has helped the 73-year-old head coach win at a high level. With Geno Smith steadying the offense as a seasoned game manager, inserting Jeanty into the lineup could help the Raiders quickly close the gap on their division rivals.
Chicago Bears: Ben Johnson’s success with a two-RB1 rotation could prompt the Bears to add Jeanty to a lineup that already features D’Andre Swift. Though the incumbent is an explosive playmaker with speed to burn, the 2024 Doak Walker Award winner is a classic workhorse back who flashes big play potential as a “do-it-all” back with an electric game. Jeanty’s multi-faceted skills could help Johnson unlock the unit’s potential as a first-year head coach/offensive play-caller as the Bears seek to create a high-powered offense that meshes force with finesse.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys’ success has traditionally been tied to the presence of an elite runner in the backfield. From Tony Dorsett to Emmitt Smith to DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys rack up wins when they feature a potential NFL rushing champion at RB1. Jeanty flashes 2,000-yard rushing potential as an electric runner with the size, strength, speed, vision and burst to score from anywhere on the field. Whether attacking downhill on various gap-scheme runs between the tackles or scooting around the corner outside zone or quick-pitch concepts, the Boise State product gives Brian Schottenheimer a high-end running back to build around. Considering he witnessed his dad (Marty Schottenheimer) help rebuild the San Diego Chargers into a title contender with LaDainian Tomlinson leading the way, the Cowboys’ new head coach could opt for a similar strategy to help “America’s Team” return to prominence in 2025.
Denver Broncos: Despite his reputation as a “throw-it-around-the-yard” play designer, Sean Payton wants to bludgeon opponents with a power-based running game that features a collection of hard-nosed runners plowing between the tackles. Jeanty’s success as a bell cow in a throwback offense could encourage the one-time Super Bowl champion coach to upgrade the Broncos’ offense with an elite running back with electric playmaking skills as a runner-receiver out of the backfield. Given his success with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, the crafty play-caller could transform the Broncos’ offense into a juggernaut with a combo playmaker with big play potential.
Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the “Moving the Sticks” podcast. Follow him on Twitter @BuckyBrooks.
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