Ever since exploding onto the scene for Boise State in 2023, Ashton Jeanty has been destined to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Not only was he able to accomplish this feat, but he also became the highest running back selected since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall in 2018.
Heading to a Raiders offense that lacks true difference makers outside of tight end phenom Brock Bowers, what are the chances that Jeanty leads the NFL in touches as a rookie?
If you want to dive deeper into the 2025 rookie class, pick up the 2025 RotoViz Rookie Draft Guide and check out the rest of our rookie preview series:
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
- Emeka Egbuka
- Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel
- Matthew Golden
- Tre Harris
- Pat Bryant
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Kyle Washington
Tight Ends
Ashton Jeanty’s NFL Comps
After beginning his high school football journey in Naples, Italy, while his family was stationed at a military base there, Jeanty spent his final three seasons playing for Frisco Lone Star High School in Texas. He committed to Boise State as a three-star recruit and the 90th-ranked RB in the 2022 class.
Jeanty put together an impressive freshman season before blowing the doors off of college football as a sophomore. However, he wasn’t done there, as he came within 28 yards of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season college rushing record in 2024.
More than just a threat on the ground, Jeanty’s sophomore year saw him earn 23.0% of the Broncos’ receiving yards on a 13.4% target share.
Jeanty’s advanced stats back up his claim as an elite RB prospect, with his rushing points earned per play numbers from the past two seasons both ranking in the top five when looking at the college careers of the entire 2025 RB draft class. The true highlight of Jeanty’s profile may be his evasion rate (EVAS%), which has not dipped below 33.2% in the past two years. When digging a little deeper into his EVAS%, we find that he broke tackles (25.5% BT% in 2023, 22.5% BT% in 2024) at more than a 2:1 clip over forcing missed tackles (9.5% FMT% in 2023, 10.7% FMT% in 2024), highlighting the power that Jeanty generates in his compact frame. With this in mind, it is no surprise that Jeanty was able to put up elite yards after contact numbers, never falling below 4.2 yards per carry over the past two seasons.
Admittedly, Jeanty did see his efficiency as a receiver dip considerably in his junior season. But if we look back to his sophomore campaign, we find a player who could become an elite weapon out of the backfield in the NFL. In 2023, Jeanty caught 97.7% of his 45 catchable targets while not recording a single drop. His production led to a 149.4 receiver rating that ranked in the top five among NFL-caliber RBs over the past three years. Jeanty’s elusiveness also carried over to the receiving game, sporting a 51.2% EVAS%, but this time with his 32.6% FMT% nearly doubling up his 18.6% BT%.
With little to prove to NFL scouts, Jeanty did not participate in athletic testing during the pre-draft process. Skipping drills did not affect his draft stock, as the Raiders used the sixth overall pick in the draft to bring Jeanty to Las Vegas. Unsurprisingly, Jeanty’s score of 95 in the RB Prospect Lab was the best in the class. He also pulls in some impressive comps in the Box Score Scout, with the lack of positive correlation in the sim scores likely due in large part to the uniqueness of Jeanty’s otherworldly statistical profile.
One player who is not in the BSS, but who I would argue should be included among Jeanty’s top comps: LaDainian Tomlinson.
