NFL analyst claims selecting Ashton Jeanty in top 10 of 2025 draft could cost a team over $20,000,000
NFL analyst Austin Mock of The New York Times claimed that drafting Ashton Jeanty in the top 10 of the 2025 NFL draft could cost a team over $20 million. This is because NFL draft picks are guaranteed a particular salary depending on their draft position.
According to Mock, Jeanty would make around $6.6 million per year on a four-year deal as the No. 10 pick. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who put up an MVP-caliber season in 2024, saw his cap hit last year at just $3.8 million. That's the equivalent of what the 14th or 15th pick in the draft will make this year.
The top 10 RBs in the NFL average about $12.5 million a year. If Jeanty is drafted at No. 10, a team would only save around $6 million a year on his rookie contract. However, if that top 10 pick were to be used in a different position, the savings would skyrocket significantly.
The top 10 wide receivers in the NFL average $31.5 million per year. Any receiver who is drafted at the 10th selection and plays at a top 10 level would save their team around $25 million. An edge rusher in the NFL in the top 10 is averaging $27.5 million per year. If any of them is selected at 10th overall and played at a top 10 level in the NFL, they'd save their team nearly $21 million annually.
Drafting an RB could have some serious financial ramifications for an organization looking down the line.
Is Ashton Jeanty too good to pass up with an early pick in the 2025 NFL draft?
Despite the financials involved, there's still no denying the talent that Ashton Jeanty would bring to an NFL team. He is fresh off his junior season with Boise State where he rushed 374 times for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. Those are astronomical numbers on the ground, that if translated to the NFL, could be record-breaking.
The NFL has a completely different level of opposition than what Jeanty used to face in college. However, he has shown tremendous natural ability as a runner with raw athleticism, which has draft analysts suggesting that he's one of the best blue-chip prospects at the position in years.
It will be interesting to see where Jeanty ultimately ends up when the 2025 NFL draft opens on April 24.