NFL mock drafts: Experts not fazed by Ashton Jeanty’s ho-hum Fiesta Bowl performance

Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards this season, 28 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ FBS record

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ashton Jeanty was held to 104 rushing yards on 30 carries in Boise State’s 31-14 College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl loss to Penn State. 

It was a season-low performance for Jeanty, who finished his junior campaign with 374 carries for 2,601 yards and 30 total touchdowns. Jeanty ranks second on the all-time FBS single-season rushing list, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame member Barry Sanders.

Sanders ran for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 11 games for Oklahoma State in 1988.

Jeanty, a two-time Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, won the 2024 Maxwell Award (college football player of the year) and Doak Walker Award (best running back in college football). He finished second to Colorado’s Travis Hunter in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

Several NFL Draft experts, including NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, are not concerned by Jeanty’s middling performance against an elite Penn State defensive front.

“Jeanty is a stud,” Jeremiah posted on X after the Fiesta Bowl. “Nothing tonight changes that opinion. He’s not a product of a weak schedule. I’m old enough to remember the Oregon game.”

Jeanty ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 2 loss at Oregon. 

Coming off his College Football Playoff performance, here is a collection of opinions from draft experts on where Jeanty will land in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Note: The NFL Draft order is determined by the reverse order of finish in the previous season. All draft positions listed are also projections.

1. Christian D’Andrea, USA Today: No. 13 to Dallas Cowboys

Rationale: “Let’s do the dang thing. Jerry Jones loves stars. Ashton Jeanty is a constellation unto himself, a version of Ezekiel Elliott who, by virtue of not being a top-five draft pick, will feel like a bargain to Dallas’ powers that be.”

2. Josh Edwards, CBS Sports: No. 20 to Denver Broncos

Rationale: “When Sean Payton was in New Orleans, he invested significant draft resources into Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara and others. Having a running back of that caliber would take the pressure off quarterback Bo Nix.”

3. Luke Easterling, Athlon Sports: No. 13 to Dallas Cowboys

Rationale: “This feels like a lazy pick at this point, but there’s just no denying how much the Cowboys need to balance out their offense with a quality ground attack, and the fact that Jeanty is an elite prospect at the position. He’s a top-10 overall talent in this draft, and could instantly transform Dallas’ offensive identity with his three-down skill set.”

4. Matthew Freedman, Fantasy Life: No. 12 to Dallas Cowboys

Rationale: “I am torn. I want to mock him to the Cowboys … and yet I also want to get him in the top 10, because I can imagine a team actually drafting him that high. Maybe the Raiders at No. 8? The Jaguars at No. 7?”

MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS

• Report: NCAA considering rule change to allow fifth year of eligibility

• Bronco great Nate Potter takes over for Dirk Koetter as Boise State offensive coordinator

• Boise State OC Dirk Koetter on NIL: ‘Our best players are getting offered between 2 and 10 times what we can offer’

• Ashton Jeanty’s blue jersey tops best-seller list at NIL Store

• Ashton Jeanty falls just short of Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record

• Boise State transfer portal tracker: Ohio State offensive lineman signs with Broncos

• Format change coming to College Football Playoff?

• Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson: ‘What we did this year is not going to be enough going forward’

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