Ashton Jeanty, born on Dec. 2, 2003, lived in Florida, then Virginia and then Italy. His father was a Chief Petty Officer for the United States Navy and thus lived from base to base. First exposed to football while in middle school in Virginia, Jeanty’s family soon moved to Naples. There wasn’t much competition for football at Naples Middle/High School, a military school for Americans in Gricignano di Aversa. Jeanty first played quarterback, then running back, and led his team to an undefeated season against other military schools in 2018.
While overseas he caught the attention of Lone Star High School head coach Jeff Rayburn, who recruited Jeanty to come back to the states to play for him in suburban Dallas. But because of a logjam at running back, Jeanty played outside linebacker and safety — and then wide receiver — before getting his reps in the backfield. He played a dozen games as a senior (including games at The Star, the Cowboys‘ practice facility) and totaled 41 touchdowns (10 receiving) with 2,653 yards from scrimmage (810 receiving).
Though a standout as a senior, Jeanty did not receive big-time offers from major programs because he was new to the scene in the states. Cal, Tulane and Kansas made offers alongside other non-Power 4 Conference schools, but he chose Boise State because the program remained loyal to him throughout the recruiting process, had a track record of running backs making the NFL and offered him an NIL deal that included marketing and branding opportunities.
Three years later, Jeanty enters the NFL as one of the most polished, talented and decorated players in the draft class. Jeanty closed out his college career winning the Maxwell Award (nation’s most outstanding player) and the Doak Walker Award (nation’s best running back) and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
Ashton Jeanty NFL Draft profile
- Age as of Week 1: 21
- Height: 5-foot-8 ½
- Weight: 211
- Hand size: 9 ¼
- Comparable body-type to: Alfred Morris
CBS prospect ranking
Position: No. 1 RB | Overall: No. 11 overall
Consensus big board ranking (via NFL Mock Draft Database): No. 7 overall (No. 1 RB)
To check out all of CBSSports.com’s most recent mock drafts, click here.
NFL comparison: More compact Steven Jackson
Of course Jeanty will draw comparisons to former Boise State running back Jay Ajayi because they’re both stocky with braids, but Jeanty is much more physically dominant than Ajayi. If anything, Jeanty is a more compact version of Steven Jackson, the Rams bruiser who had an eight-year run of over 1,000 rushing yards and 1,270 total yards per year. Jackson was awesome as a receiver — and time will show that Jeanty is as well. He caught more than 40 passes as a junior and was a former high school receiver, so it’s entirely realistic to see Jeanty become a capable pass-catcher in an NFL offense like Jackson. But moreover, Jeanty should quickly become the engine of a pro offense like Jackson was with the Rams — hopefully with better touchdown fortune.
NFL landing spots
By Cody Benjamin
- Dallas Cowboys: It’s the match made in heaven, to be honest. Jeanty went to high school in Frisco, Texas, where the Cowboys are headquartered. And while Dallas could certainly use help at other spots, like along the interior of both fronts, Dak Prescott could also use bona fide ground support, with 2024 placeholder Rico Dowdle having left in free agency. The Cowboys haven’t boasted a true home run hitter at the position since Ezekiel Elliott’s prime.
- Denver Broncos: Bo Nix proved in 2024 that he’s got an “it” factor as the Broncos’ young quarterback. Now it’s time for Sean Payton to surround the signal-caller with legitimate weaponry. Jeanty could offer that and then some. The fact Payton shuffled between Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and even Audric Estime throughout last season indicates this team is ripe for a fresh investment at the position.
- Cincinnati Bengals: Now that the Bengals have locked up their current offensive core, they could stand to secure an upgrade at running back without committing big bucks to the position. Jeanty may or may not make it out of the top 15, but as a total-package starter, he’d offer Joe Burrow yet another big-play safety valve, allowing feisty incumbent Chase Brown to stick around in more of a secondary role.
Ashton Jeanty scouting report
Accolades
- 2024: Maxwell Award winner (nation’s best all-around player)
- 2024: Doak Walker Award (nation’s best running back)
- 2024: Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award (nation’s top offensive player)
- 2024: Unanimous All-American
- 2023-24: Two-time Mountain West Player of the Year
- 2024: Most rushing attempts (312), rushing yards (2,288) and rushing touchdowns (28) in FBS
- 2024: Fifth-most single season rushing yards in FBS history (2,288)
- 2024: Most yards after contact (1,970) and missed tackles forced (130) in College Football Playoff-era records (since 2014). His amount of yards after contact were more than the 1,711 rush yards Cam Skattebo had — and he finished second in the nation in rushing yards!
- 2023: First-team All-American
Strengths
- Impressive size with a girthy, muscular upper body and strong, stallion-like legs. Weighed 215 pounds, but at 5-foot-9, carried it like a typical 225-pound back.
- Reliably followed his blockers to stay on track, but also would successfully and sometimes creatively freelance when needed to extend plays.
- Plenty of running backs can cut on a dime, but few can do it as swiftly as a bigger back like Jeanty did. Instantaneous cuts with explosive plant-and-go burst gave him a ridiculous advantage to make defenders miss him.
- Terrific know-how on manipulating defenders at the line of scrimmage. Would frequently press the O-line patiently to suck defenders in before explosively cutting and changing directions to get upfield.
- Typically good vision, though there were occasions where he’d pick the wrong direction past the line of scrimmage
- Very good acceleration when given space, particularly for his size, which was another unique trait that helped him win.
- Had a very good second gear to speed away from defenders in the open field, evidenced by five runs in 2024 of 70-plus yards. There’s no questioning his long speed, even if he doesn’t have a blazing 40-yard dash time like other great runners before him.
- Excellent strength utilized to power through defenders and fight for extra yardage. This helped him turn negative plays into positive gains and solid runs into big-time gainers because of his creation of extra yards after contact. Routinely was tackled by multiple defenders with plenty of plays where as many as five defenders had hands on him but couldn’t slow him down. Will wear defenses down and dominate in the fourth quarter.
- Exceptional contact balance was one of his top traits — absorbed hits from opposing defenders and stayed on his feet to keep moving. Had an FBS-best 5.25 yards after contact per rush among qualifying running backs last year.
- Not exactly dominant in short-yardage situations, but not even remotely disappointing. When inside the five-yard line he scored 13 rushing touchdowns on 25 carries in 2024 and scored 24 rushing touchdowns on 48 career carries. Jeanty also converted on third-and-1 or fourth-and-1 on 25 of 30 tries over his college career. Wow
- Definitely not scheme dependent — had the feet and vision to run in zone and the power to run in gap. Averaged over 6.0 yards per rush in both schemes.
- Natural hands as a pass-catcher could unlock a huge part of his game. Did catch 43 passes in 2023. Had four drops over three seasons on 97 targets. Remember: Jeanty was once an all-district first-team wideout.
- Incurred some injuries in college but frequently played through them. That includes last year when he hurt his elbow in October and December and his knee in November. Jeanty missed two games with a calf strain in 2023.
Concerns
- Took on a lot of work in 2024: 374 carries and 23 receptions for a total of 397 total touches. Over three years, Jeanty racked up 750 carries and 80 receptions in 40 games. It’s not exactly a major problem, but a team may be wary of over-working Jeanty in his rookie season.
- Had four fumbles with three turnovers last season, including a funky one against Penn State where the ball popped out along the sideline and was caught on a toe-tap by a defender. Had eight fumbles with seven lost in his past three seasons. However, that was once every 93.75 carries for Jeanty.
- Despite playing wide receiver at one point in high school, Jeanty did not do too much as a receiver in his first and last year in college. In 2024, the overwhelming majority of his routes out of the backfield were simple ones like short outs and flares. Jeanty also seemed to quit on scramble drills, turning into more of a watcher than a player when his quarterback needed someone to throw to. An NFL team would waste his enormous potential by not putting him in a refresher course in route running and scramble drills.
- Far from a finished product in pass protection. Had lapses in judgment with occasional misdiagnosis of which rusher to block. Did sometimes struggle holding up against aggressive defenders.
- Definitely issues over the level of competition he played in the Mountain West Conference, only made more relevant in his bowl game versus Penn State (3.5 yards per carry, no touchdowns).
Bottom line
Jeanty is among the most NFL-ready prospects in the draft. Powerful with unreal contact balance and great speed, Jeanty should be able to churn for yardage immediately, though the better his offensive line is, the more explosive he’ll be. An NFL team should opt to use him as a pass-catcher as well, giving him another dimension to attack defenders. If it happens, he’ll contend to lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage at least once in his first four years in the league (if not all four years).
What other draft experts say about Ashton Jeanty
Ryan Wilson: I know we fawn over Travis Hunter‘s physics-defying displays of athleticism on a weekly basis, but Ashton Jeanty deserves as much (and maybe more!) of the fawning. He is special, as in “I’d take him over Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs” special. He has the ability to house it every single time he touches the ball.
Mike Renner: I take positional value into account for my NFL Draft big board, which is why I have Ashton Jeanty ranked 18th. If all positions were created equal, he could easily be the top prospect in this class. There’s very few holes in his game.
Chris Trapasso: Ashton Jeanty is a powerful, dynamic running back with elite contact balance, making him nearly impossible to bring down on first contact. His vision, burst and second-level acceleration make him a constant threat for big plays, while his exceptional lateral agility and spin move allow him to navigate tight spaces with ease. Though his receiving ability is limited, Jeanty excels in the screen game and can be a consistent threat in the passing game. With his ability to break tackles and consistently gain yards after contact, Jeanty has the traits to be a dynamic, home run-hitting featured back in the NFL.
Ashton Jeanty college stats
| Year | G | Att | Yds | Yds/att | TD | Rec | Yds | Yds/rec | TD | FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14 | 374 | 2601 | 7 | 29 | 23 | 138 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 12 | 220 | 1347 | 6.1 | 14 | 43 | 569 | 13.2 | 5 | 4 |
| 2022 | 14 | 156 | 821 | 5.3 | 7 | 14 | 155 | 11.1 | 0 | 1 |
Ashton Jeanty 247Sports profile
High school: Lone Star (Frisco, Texas)
Class: 2022
Composite Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (90)
- RB: 29 | Texas: 45
High school accolades
- Played RB, WR, DE, OLB and S
- 2020: Texas District 5-5A D-I first-team at WR
- 2019: Texas District 5-5A D-I Defensive Newcomer of the Year
Check out Ashton Jeanty’s full 247Sports profile, here. For his MaxPreps profile, click here.
The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
