Ashton Jeanty, Boise State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Jeanty was a three-star recruit from Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas in the class of 2022

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is one of the leading contenders for the top spot at his position in the 2025 NFL Draft. His style of play carries a boom-or-bust element on a snap-by-snap basis, but eventually he’s going to break off a game-changing big play.

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Ashton Jeanty, RB Boise State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior running back from Jacksonville, Fla.

Background: Jeanty was a three-star recruit from Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas in the class of 2022. He was the No. 1,284 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 876 for On3.com. Jeanty was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 74 grade out of 100. He played many roles in high school, including running back, wide receiver, defensive end, outside linebacker, and safety. In 12 games as a senior, Jeanty amassed 1,843 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns on 229 carries. He also caught 41 passes for 810 yards and ten touchdowns. Jeanty earned First Team Texas District 5-5A D-I honors in 2020 as a wide receiver. He was the 2019 Texas District 5-5A D-I Defensive Newcomer of the Year during his sophomore campaign. Jeanty also lettered in basketball and track and field. He ran an 11.13 100-meter dash and jumped 23-3.75 in the long jump as a junior. Jeanty also ran on Lone Star’s 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams. As a junior, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 steal per game on the hardwood.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a lower-body injury vs. Wyoming in 2023 causing him to miss the Fresno State and New Mexico games

Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-MWC, 2023 First Team All-MWC, 2023 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, 2023 Second Team All-American (All-Purpose, Associated Press), 2023 First Team All-American (ESPN, USA Today, CFN)

Pros: High school experience as a wide receiver, natural hands catcher, very threatening pass catcher out of the backfield, took some slot snaps in 2023, worth scheming touches, compact frame but not muscle-bound, good arm length at his size, patient behind his line, quick feet, stop-start agility, sharp cutting to hit holes as soon as he sees them, vision is usually a positive, speed helps him slip through narrow gaps, speed to hit and turn the corner, dynamite with the ball in his hands, explosive athlete, excellent burst and speed, burst and acceleration to stress pursuit angles, loose lower body for jump cuts, quick cuts make defenders miss in space, stiff arm, spin move, hesitation move to freeze and blow by would-be tacklers, shoulder and head fakes as a ball carrier, willing to lower his shoulder and deliver a hit on would-be tackler, absorbs high contact and keeps rolling, flashes of impressive lower body contact balance, active and ready to throw a shoulder in pass pro, correctly identifies and mirrors threats in pass pro

Cons: Limited special teams experience, five fumbles in 2023, small build, not going to create a ton between the tackles vs. loaded NFL boxes, unlikely to create magic in the backfield when bottled up, speed pops but appears to fall short of top shelf, occasionally caught from behind, not quite twitchy, failed attempts to make defenders miss one-on-one in space, brought down by wrap up tackles, struggled to break tackles vs. Washington (2023), flashy broken tackles but not a true power back, size leads to him getting pushed around in pass pro, didn’t run many downfield routes in 2023

Overview: Jeanty lacks significant special teams experience, but he more than makes up for it with his offensive versatility. A high school wide receiver, the Boise State star is a natural hands catcher with the dynamic athleticism to terrify defenses by catching passes out of the backfield. He even took some slot snaps in 2023. Jeanty is a compact running back, but his frame isn’t muscle-bound. He appears to have good arm length for his size, which makes his stiff arm even more lethal. Jeanty patiently presses behind the line as a ball carrier, using his quick feet and impressive stop-start agility to survey gaps and redirect. He sharply cuts through holes when he sees them. Jeanty isn’t immune to lapses in vision, but his vision is usually a solid part of his game. The junior uses his speed to fire through narrow run lanes between the tackles, and he has enough speed to win outside and turn the corner. He is an explosive athlete with the acceleration, burst, and speed to stress pursuit angles and break big plays. Boise State schemes him touches on screens and jet sweeps, and he should continue to get many of those opportunities at the next level. Jeanty’s speed pops, but it falls short of top shelf marks since he’s occasionally caught from behind. He has a loose lower body that helps him execute quick cuts to make defenders miss in open space. The Florida native also relies on spin and hesitation moves and uses shoulder and head fakes to create extra yardage. Jeanty sometimes drops his shoulder and lays a big hit on a would-be tackler. He absorbs and survives contact high on his frame and has flashes of impressive lower body contact balance. Unfortunately, Jeanty falls a bit short of being twitchy. His small build makes it unlikely that he will create much between the tackles in the NFL, especially against heavy boxes. The former three-star recruit struggles to create when facing contact in the backfield early in the play. Fumbles are also an issue since Jeanty had five in 2023. He produced a high volume of missed tackles in 2023 but is not a true power back. Wrap up tackles bring him down, and it’s not a guarantee that he’ll make defenders miss one-on-one in space. There’s a level of boom or bust to Jeanty’s game. He might gain ten total yards on his first four carries, but the fifth carry will go for 50+ yards. NFL teams must be willing to give him touches and buy into that home run ability. Jeanty is active in pass protection and often correctly identifies and mirrors rushers. However, his limited size leads to him being overwhelmed or pushed around in pass protection.

Overall, Jeanty is a dynamic, loose playmaker with the athletic traits to break big plays in the run game and be a significant contributor as a pass catcher. His size and boom-or-bust style of running are factors that could limit his role at the next level. A patient team willing to take the good with the bad will be getting an offensive mismatch creator.

Role & Scheme Fit: Three-down running back in an outside zone scheme

Round Grade: Late Second Round

Size: 5'9", 215 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 06-02-24