If it wasn’t for Travis Hunter, there’s no doubt Ashton Jeanty would be the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
The Boise State alum and top-rated running back prospect entering the 2025 NFL Draft turned in one of the most ridiculous single seasons in college football history, rushing for over 2,600 yards and 29 touchdowns. In fact, he came up just 28 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ record of 2,628 rushing yards.
Although Hunter — a two-way phenom that hasn’t been seen in football in decades — won the Heisman Trophy after garnering 552 first-place votes and 2,231 points, Jeanty registered 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points, making it the closest margin in a Heisman race since 2009.
That type of historic season has Jeanty as a potential top-five pick despite running backs rarely ever going to that high in the draft.
“Your best is expected every day, and everybody’s best is different levels, but just be your best every single day,” says Jeanty in a one-on-one interview on the biggest thing he learned at Boise State.
While the top three teams with picks — Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants — all have higher positions of need such as quarterback and the possibility of landing Hunter, Jeanty could reasonably go as early as No. 5 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jeanty was actually born in Jacksonville.
He could also go at No. 6 to the Las Vegas Raiders, whom he mentions as one of several teams who have shown interest in him. Jeanty also mentions the Dallas Cowboys, where he has hometown ties considering he attended high school in Frisco, Texas.
“I wouldn’t say any of them stand out more than the rest,” says Jeanty when asked if any meetings have stood out more than others. “They all went well. I met with the Bears, met with the Raiders, went a little local with Dallas. They all went well. I figured those are the teams that are pretty interested.”
Ashtony Jeanty Expects To Go Within Top 10 Of 2025 NFL Draft
Most mock drafts have Jeanty going in the top 10, but it’s always a possibility he drops in the draft — something that he’s well aware of.
“Hopefully in the top 10,” says Jeanty of where he’s expecting to land in the draft. “It’s definitely expected that I should go top 10. But you never know what can happen.”
As mentioned earlier, the running back position is rarely drafted within the top 10. The position has been devalued for a long time, although the value of the running back is slowly starting to creep back up due to Saquon Barkley’s emergence as the driving force behind the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
In fact, Barkley just signed a two-year, $41.2 million deal to make him the highest-paid running back on an average annual basis in NFL history.
However, there are still a ways to go, and while veteran running backs are starting to be fairly compensated, NFL organizations tend to place a higher value on other positions over running backs in the draft.
The only running back to be drafted in the top 10 since 2019 is the Atlanta Falcons’ Bijan Robinson. However, Jeanty is literally a once-in-a-generation prospect at running back considering the historic season he’s coming off of. It also doesn’t hurt that he combines both power and speed in his 5-foot-8, 211-pound frame.
“The value that I would bring to offenses is that real X-Factor playmaker,” says Jeanty of why he should be drafted in the top 10. “It totally changes your offense, and wreaks a lot of havoc for defenses. The real great running backs, they can obviously run the ball. But protecting the quarterback and then being able to catch the ball in the passing game. That’s three phases of the game where the running back can affect and make your team better.”
Ashton Jeanty Partners With SAXX Along With Maxx Crosby
As Jeanty prepares to hear his name called at the 2025 NFL Draft – he is one of 17 prospects who will attend in person – he’s partnering with SAXX, a well-known men’s underwear company known for their partnerships with Raiders star Maxx Crosby and Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon.
Jeanty began his partnership with SAXX leading into the Heisman Trophy ceremony at the end of the 2024 and was personally selected as a “gamechanger” by Crosby to represent the brand while at Boise State.
He mentions the popular “ballpark pouch” design as his favorite product from the company.
“The ballpark pouch,” says Jeanty when asked about his favorite product. “I don’t need to go into details, but that was just real, real comfortable. It’s real great to wear throughout the day.”
Crosby – who is prominently featured throughout SAXX – is dropping a new limited edition release on draft day on April 24.
“Maxx Crosby is launching a new limited edition sax underwear print on April 24, so keep your eyes out,” says Jeanty. They’re going to drop the same day as the draft.”