Hello everyone, sorry I was gone for a while. I am back to talk about one of my favorite running backs available in this upcoming draft. His name is Ashton Jeanty. He comes from Boise State, which is a football program out of the Mountain West Conference, a Group of Five school. The Group of five schools are mid-major schools that play Division One sports.
Even though players from the Mountain West Conference do not get a lot of national recognition, Boise State did thanks to their dominant running back. Even though Ashton Jeanty stands at 5’8”, he is one of the most physical workhorse-type of running backs going into this draft. Even though he ran for over 2,600 yards this season, he did not run behind one of the best offensive lines in college football (unless you are talking about the right side of the offensive line, namely Daylon Metoyer and the center, Mason Randolph). Therefore, the production that he displayed for the Broncos this year showed his capabilities and why he was impressive to watch over the last two years.
He came on the college football scene his sophomore year. That season was a breakout season for him, in that he was able to complement the dual passing attack that Boise State employed. That year, they had a quarterback, named Taylen Greene who was able to confuse defenders with his running ability. Jeanty complemented this with his specialties in the running game, and his workhorse ability. That season, Jeanty ran for over 1,300 yards. What should be considered is what he did in the passing game for that team. He had collegiate career highs in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
So, as we look at his draft outlook, he is going to help teams in whatever way is needed based on the weekly opponent. He can be a receiving back out of the backfield, but he’s more known for his natural running ability. As we all know, a good running game comes from good O-line play. Even though, during his senior year Boise State dominated their opponents, it would be hard to judge fully how good of an O-line Jeanty played behind when schools at higher levels (ex: Penn State) are able to recruit higher-quality players. Even though the combine and his pro day already happened, teams should trust what they see on tape, and not get so caught up in metrics such as the 40-yard-dash.
Therefore, as the draft is coming up, where should Jeanty go? I believe we could see him fall anywhere in the 1st round of the draft, between picks 12 and 22. The Dallas Cowboys (pick 12) could use him to enhance their running back room. The Denver Broncos (pick 20) could definitely use him. Any team that has Sean Payton directing the offensive line is going to be able to run the ball at an effective pace. Lastly, the Los Angeles Chargers (pick 22) could use him too. Jeanty would face little competition in L.A. from Najee Harris and Kimani Vidal. Jim Harbaugh loves blue-chip players, and Ashton Jeanty is definitely that.
Offseason Journey in the NFL 