“(Ashton) Jeanty is right there”: NFL draft analyst turns spotlight on Boise State star’s rising draft stock ahead of D-Day
Ashton Jeanty is widely considered the best running back in the upcoming NFL draft class. However, in a class filled with talent at the position and with the ongoing trend of NFL franchises not valuing RBs as much as they used to in the past, the draft stock of the Heisman Trophy runner-up has likely been watered down.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler said on Thursday's edition of "The Jim Rome Show" that Jeanty has to be considered a top-three player on the draft in terms of talent.
"I think you could make an argument he's one of the best players in the draft," Brugler said. "Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, one and two. Then (Ashton) Jeanty is right there. Positional value is something that will be talked about quite a bit, but in this draft, where, like I said, relative to past years is not a great year to have a pick in that five to 10 range because you're just not getting what you would usually call a top 10 pick back on your return.
"So I think teams are going to look at Ashton Jeanty and say, 'You know what? We wouldn't usually draft a running back here. If there was a 1A pass rusher, would we take him instead of the running back? Yes. But there isn't. So we are going to take the 1A running back' and I think the Jaguars at five, the Raiders at six, and at the very least, I don't think he gets past the Bears at 10. So somewhere in that top 10, a team is going to look at Ashton Jeanty and say the value is too much"
Brugler's colleague at The Athletic, Austin Mock, disagreed with the assessment and shared his take in an article published on Thursday. It remains to be seen what NFL decision-makers think about Jeanty.
Chicago Bears are interested in Ashton Jeanty
According to ESPN's Matt Miller, the Chicago Bears are planning to draft Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 10.
"The Bears love Ashton Jeanty, according to scouts around the league who've observed the team's activity this offseason," Miller wrote on Wednesday. "So the Boise State running back could be the pick at No. 10 … if he's still around."
Last season, Jeanty recorded 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in 374 carries for the Broncos. He broke several school records and came close to breaking Barry Sanders' single-season rushing yards record. Sanders set the record in his Heisman Trophy-winning 1988 campaign, with 2,628 yards.