Devy Digest: Ashton Jeanty

Andy Pham discusses whether he thinks Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will be able to be a day two draft pick next April!

Boise State Broncos
Position: Running Back
Ashton Jeanty
5’9” 215 lbs
Age: 20
Draft Eligible: 2025

Who is Ashton Jeanty?

Jeanty was a three-star in the composites and attended Lone Star High in Frisco, Texas. Jeanty was everything for Lone Star High; he played multiple positions, including running back, wide receiver, defensive end, outside linebacker, and safety. As a senior, Jeanty rushed for 1,843 yards on 229 carries with 31 touchdowns. Jeanty added 41 receptions for 810 yards and an additional ten touchdowns. Jeanty also spent time playing basketball and track and field. As talented as Jeanty was in High School, he only had seven offers, with California being the only Power Four program to offer him. Jeanty would wait to commit and ultimately end up at Boise State. 

Jeanty earned the backup job from fall camp and would appear in all 14 games as a true freshman in 2022. Jeanty would be a spot-starter in two games and rushed for 821 yards and seven touchdowns. In his sophomore season, he would be named the starter and take the lead role over George Holani, but he would still be part of a duo in that backfield. Holani was injured early on in the season and would miss several games; that paved the way for Jeanty to become a bell cow, and he proved that he was more than capable of handling the increased workload. Jeanty heads into the 2024 season as the top Running Back in the Group of Five and has garnered a lot of draft buzz. Ashton was named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-American second team.

Strengths

Jeanty is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and showcases soft hands and the vision to be effective in the passing game at the next level. Jeanty has an excellent short-area burst, which allows him to make a defender miss and pick up additional yards. As a Freshman, Jeanty was used in routes and was a mismatch against Linebackers in the group of five. This past season, the usage changed to more of a safety blanket for their Quarterback. The quarterback play was abysmal, and Boise State kept Jeanty short to bail out the quarterback play, so they used those dump-offs as an extension of the run. Jeanty will catch outside his frame and doesn’t fight with the ball as it comes his way. 

The ability to be used either way as a receiver allows him to be a weapon and chess piece and, at the next level, could carve out that niche to be a high-end receiving back in the mold of James White. White is my comparison to the ceiling of what Jeanty could be. Jeanty has a thicker build, which helps him in open spaces against smaller corners. He will run over the smaller defender and use his short area burst to get out of a bind. Jeanty has good vision and, as a runner, showcases that while behind the line of scrimmage. Jeanty will be patient and wait for his blocks to form, uses his short area burst to get to the open hole that forms late, and finds a way to get through the first level. Jeanty displays good contact balance, and if a defender uses poor angles, Jeanty will absorb the contact, shield that defender from him, and continue to seek additional yards.

Improvements/Concerns