The Boise State back is expected to be a Day 1 target
The 2025 NFL Draft may kick off with a quarterback at No. 1, with some other premium positions, like pass rusher and wide receiver, coming off the board next. Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is hoping to capitalize on Saquon Barkley’s recent historic success, however, by becoming the next big running back to hit the scene, pledging in a column for The Players’ Tribune that he was “born” to be a difference-maker.
“Most people, they watched the Eagles win the Super Bowl a couple of months ago,” Jeanty wrote, “they watched Saquon run through everyone in the playoffs, and they thought to themselves, ‘This is amazing.’ I watched it and I thought something different. I thought, ‘That can be me.’
Jeanty has been widely projected as a first-round pick, with many anticipating he’ll even crack the top 10. Still, he believes he — like Barkley, who topped 2,000 rushing yards for Philadelphia in 2024 — has the tools to transcend the typical value of the running back position.
“I truly believe I was born to do this,” Jeanty wrote. “And I truly believe what makes me different … it isn’t about the position I line up at. It’s about the mindset I bring to it. If you pick me, it’s simple: I’m coming to your franchise to do what Saquon and the Eagles just did. I’m coming to win, big, soon.
“It’s tackle football,” he continued. “I’d draft the guy they can’t tackle.”
