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Joey's top landing spots for Boise State Running Back, Ashton Jeanty to join for the 2025 NFL season. His top picks for Jeanty to land for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards back during his Heisman-winning season in 1988.
That historic season for Jeanty will make him the first running back off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. Although he is on the smaller side at 5-foot-9, the talent is definitely there for the Boise State product. Therefore, several teams will likely be in on him early during the draft.
So, which team could be the best landing spot for Jeanty? Let's dive in and find out which five teams could select him in the upcoming draft.
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Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders will have the first crack at selecting Jeanty in the 2025 NFL Draft. With the sixth overall pick, Las Vegas is a possible landing spot for the 21-year-old. The Raiders only rushed for 1,357 yards as a team last season, and Alexander Mattison led the group with just 420 rush yards.
Even though the Raiders added Raheem Mostert in free agency, that shouldn't affect their plans to take Jeanty early in the first round. This landing spot also appears to be a strong possibility for the Boise State star. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz said Las Vegas has a "contingent of supporters" inside the organization.
Ashton Jeanty is creating a lot of Buzz to the Raiders at 6 👀 pic.twitter.com/8oMVrtNRNj
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) March 13, 2025
As a result, we could see Jeanty go as high as sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. That would be higher than where both Bijan Robinson (eighth overall) and Jahmyr Gibbs (12th overall) went in the 2023 NFL Draft. Given how important both backs have been on their respective teams, the Raiders could follow suit and pick a running back who would instantly upgrade their offense.
Chicago Bears
If the Raiders pass on Jeanty with the sixth overall pick, the Chicago Bears are a possibility for him at 10th overall. A few weeks ago, this might not have been a likely landing spot for the young running back. However, the Bears upgraded both their offensive and defensive line by adding Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Grady Jarrett earlier this offseason.
Those additions could allow the Bears to pivot in the first round and select the most exciting running back in this class. New head coach Ben Johnson was also with the Detroit Lions when they selected Gibbs early in the first round. Given how Johnson utilized the speedy running back in that Detroit offense, he could be trying to build something similar in Chicago.
"He has tremendous balance and burst as a runner, some of the best contact balance that I've ever seen"
-@MoveTheSticks on @BroncoSportsFB RB Ashton Jeanty
📺: 2025 #NFLDraft – April 24-26 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/IFOhSx0zvc— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) March 17, 2025
So, Johnson could pull for the Boise State running back with the 10th overall pick. He would certainly make this Bears offense better and would be an upgrade over veteran D'Andre Swift. If Jeanty does land here, Chicago will have one of the better running back duos in the league. All that makes this a possible landing spot for him.
Dallas Cowboys
The biggest question for the Dallas Cowboys entering the draft is whether they will have the opportunity to select Jeanty in the first round. With the Raiders picking sixth overall and the Bears picking 10th overall, the Cowboys might not even have a shot of landing the top running back in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Assuming that both the Raiders and Bears pass on him, though, Jeanty could find himself as the Cowboys' selection at 12th overall. Rico Dowdle left in free agency, and the team only signed Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders to cheap one-year deals this offseason. As a result, Dallas is surely still in the market for a game-changing running back.
This landing spot would also be the best for Jeanty overall. He would be the clear RB1 and be a part of a Cowboys offense that should rank toward the top of the league. However, the bad news is that there's a good chance the 21-year-old running back will not be available for the team at 12th overall. Both the Bears (+130) and Raiders (+150) have much better odds of selecting him than Dallas (+550) on DraftKings.
Denver Broncos
It would be a complete shock if the Raiders, Bears, and Cowboys all passed on him in the top 12. There has been a lot of talk about Jeanty going early in the draft, and one of these teams will probably select him in the 2025 NFL Draft. But if he doesn't land with any of them, Denver is a solid landing spot for him in April's draft.
ASHTON JEANTY'S FIRST TOUCH IS A TD 🤯😤
(via @CFBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/4Tbf7vvx56
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 5, 2024
The Broncos had one of the best offensive lines in football last season, and head coach Sean Payton is a big believer in establishing the run. After the team ran ranked 16th in rush yards in 2024 (1,908 yards), expect them to add a running back early in the draft. That could turn out to be Jeanty if the 2024 Heisman runner-up makes it here to 20th overall.
He would immediately come in and take over as Denver's RB1. Williams left in the offseason, and Jeanty is just more talented than any other running back on this roster (Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime, and Tyler Badie). Therefore, the Florida native would almost certainly be selected by the Broncos toward the back end of the first round.
New Orleans Saints
Many draft analysts haven't talked about the possibility of Jeanty being drafted by the New Orleans Saints. However, they are a sleeper team to select the Boise State running back at ninth overall. Alvin Kamara is entering his age-30 season, and Kendre Miller has appeared in just 14 games over the past two seasons.
So, we shouldn't completely rule out the Saints as a potential landing spot for Jeanty. Even though Kamara is under contract for the next two years, New Orleans definitely needs more help offensively. The young running back would likely split opportunities with the veteran for the next two seasons before taking over as the team's full-time RB1 soon after.
Now, this landing spot is more of a long shot, considering the Saints have several needs to address in the draft. Nonetheless, we have seen crazy things happen in the draft. No one expected the Falcons to take Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick last year or Gibbs to go that high in 2023. If New Orleans believes Jeanty will be a difference-maker for its offense, the team could surprise us with this selection.
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