Boise State standout Asthon Jeanty is the top running back in the 2025 draft class and a potential franchise changer as early as his rookie year.
The RB position is experiencing something of a renaissance in the NFL with the success that Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry brought to the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, after inking free agent deals in the offseason.
And the success of Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit and Bijan Robinson in Atlanta have forced a review of the value of selecting a running back in the first half of the first round of the NFL draft.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
Brian Losness-Imagn Images
ESPN’s Field Yates said on Friday, Feb. 28, that Jeanty represents the clearest path to a Pro Bowl selection of arguably any player who will become a pro in late April. As such, he is the exact type of impact performer the Dallas Cowboys need to remake their offense from the one-dimensional attack it slid into last season, which got even worse after QB Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury.
The Cowboys select 12th overall and will eventually meet with Jeanty, though chose not to do so at the NFL combine this week. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star Telegram explained why via an X post on Feb. 26.
“He’ll be a Dallas Day guy that they can bring in for a facility visit,” Harris reported. “No point in burning a combine visit on him.”
Jeanty spoke with media members on Friday who asked him about the Cowboys potentially selecting him after the long pre-draft process, to which he responded with a simple three-word message.
“It’d be dope,” Jeanty said.
Jeanty finished his final collegiate season with 2,601 rushing yards, just 27 yards short of Barry Sanders’ all-time NCAA record. Jeanty added 29 rushing touchdowns on the year.
Dallas has several needs, including along the offensive line, so it isn’t a lock that the Cowboys will draft Jeanty given the opportunity. And picking at No. 12, there is no guarantee that Jeanty won’t already be off the board by the time Dallas would get the chance.
In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted that the Las Vegas Raiders will select the star running back with the sixth pick in the first round.
