Cowboys, Broncos discouraged from drafting Ashton Jeanty by NFL Draft expert

Yesterday at 10:22 PM

When it comes to running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft, there’s Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, and then there’s everyone else.

Now sure, there have been running backs who have gone in the first round in the past few drafts, with two rushers coming off the board as recently as 2023. But Jeanty isn’t just the best rusher in this year’s class but a potential Day 1 star at the NFL level, with fans putting him in the same category as Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey, and the current belle of the NFL’s rushing ball, Saquon Barkley, coming out of college.

Not too shabby for prospects whose school, Boise State, hasn’t produced a Pro Bowler at the potion since Jay Ajayi in 2016, huh?

And yet, while Jeanty is unquestionably one of the top players in the 2025 NFL Draft and would be a top-10 pick in terms of talent alone, there are extenuating factors that could limit his market in the draft and drop him down much later in the proceedings than his talent would suggest.

Taking to social media during the National Championship game to discuss some of the top prospects in this year’s class, ESPN Draft Expert Matt Miller broke down why some teams might decide to overlook Jeanty in favor of more pressing needs in this, a very deep draft class for running backs.

“I LOVE Ashton Jeanty, but you have to think about stacking your picks given the depth at RB this year,” Miller wrote on social media. “Jeanty Rd1 + a Rd OT or DE vs. Rd1 OT or DE + Judkins, Johnson, Hampton Rd2 Team needs will obviously factor in, but if I’m a Cowboys or Broncos fan I’m probably hoping we go RB in the 2nd and check a bigger box in Round 1.”

Alright, is Miller on the money? That depends on the team, as both the Cowboys and the Broncos have multiple pressing needs, which may take precedent in a deep draft class that also features players like Arizona State’s Cam Skateboo, North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, or Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, who could be available when they pick again on Day 2. Are any of those players better than Jeanty on their own? No, but add in a player like, say, Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison alongside them, and it looks a lot better.

Fortunately, Miller knows one team who could be very interested in Jeanty and might be willing to go all-in on securing his services: the Los Angeles Chargers.

“The exception would be a team like the Chargers,” Miller wrote. “We saw this year what a good RB can do for a team with an established QB.”

Would the Chargers actually consider drafting Jeanty when they could easily re-sign JK Dobbins, who played very well for the team in 2024? It’s hard to say, but if Jim Harbaugh fell in love with what his brother was doing in Baltimore with Derrick Henry or what Nick Sirianni accomplished with Saquon Barkley, he might just march into Chargers’ general manager Joe Hortiz’s office and demand a deal.

The post Cowboys, Broncos discouraged from drafting Ashton Jeanty by NFL Draft expert appeared first on ClutchPoints.