Making the Case For and Against Drafting Ashton Jeanty (If Available)

The Miami Dolphins are scheduled to have the 13th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs past Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Kobe King (41) during their Vrbo Fiesta Bowl matchup at State Farm Stadium on Dec. 31, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins have their share of issues to address over the next few months and heading into next season, and one of the top ones is finding a way to revive a running game that struggled in 2024.

How the Dolphins can go about doing that is one of the things the team has to figure out, though one easy answer would be if star prospect Ashton Jeanty of Boise State were to fall to them and 13th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

But would selecting Jeanty be the reasonable and smart thing to do for the Dolphins considering all the needs they have throughout their roster?

That was one of the topics Miami Dolphins On SI Publisher Alain Poupart and guest Chris Perkins tackled on the latest episode of the All Dolphins Podcast.

Perkins made the argument that Jeanty would bring a much-needed dimension to the offense and would be worth the pick. In fact, it should be a slam dunk for him if Jeanty is available with the 13th overall pick.

“If he's there in 13, I'm taking him no questions asked,” Perkins said. “He will make your team much, much better as a single player than probably anybody else in the draft. He would do wonders for this offense."

Poupart countered with with: “De'Von Achane did wonders with this offense in 2023 when the blocking was there, couldn't replicate it to the same level because the blocking wasn't there. Other than the fact that he will break more tackles than De’Von Achane —but it's not like he's going to be able to bounce off three guys every single time he carries the ball — why would Jeanty do so much better than Achane? And that's part one. And then part two is exactly how many years in a row are you  going to spend a decently high pick on a running back, which they did with Achane in the third round and Wright in the fourth last year, by trading another third-round pick?"

"Because this is a different type of running back,” Perkins replied. “This is the running back that you don't have. Again, you look at the Dolphins run game. It's not good on third down, it's not good in short yardage, it's not good in red zone, it's not good in goal line, and it's not good running between the tackles. Ashton Jeanty can fix that ... I won't say he can fix it, but he addresses most of those concerns. With Devon A’chane and Jaylen Wright, you have guys who are good at

outside zone plays, they can stretch the field, they're speedy guys, but they don't address the deficiencies in your run game.

"We see what Christian McCaffrey has done for San Francisco. We see what Saquon Barkley has done for Philly. We see what Derrick Henry did for Tennessee, what Derrick Henry did for Baltimore. I'm not saying Ashton Jeanty is going to get you to the Super Bowl or the AFC Championship, but he addresses probably the biggest hole in your offense, and that's that you have nothing aside from Tyreek Hill."

Poupart closed the argument with this:

“Again, to me, I go back to this is a team that's got some severe, clear holes, especially for team that was 8-9 — which is not a good record, but it's not like the dregs of the NFL — because I'm looking at both spots in the secondary, cornerback and safety. I mean, you're talking about needing a starter the defensive line. Zach Sieler needs some dudes to help him out. Unless you re-sign Tyrel Dodson, you need another off-the-ball linebacker, and then you have the guard position. And this is not even mentioning that you have no wide receiver that's got any kind of size, um, right? Unless you're counting on Grand DuBose or Erik Ezukanma to blossom in 2025 and I don't know that that I would do that. So to me, Ashton Jeanty is less of a luxury pick than (Penn State tight end) Tyler Warren would be, it's still to me a little bit too much of a luxury pick for my taste."

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