Ashton Jeanty is widely projected as a top-10 pick amongst fans and NFL Draft experts, and he has big dreams for his first season with the pros. Jeanty rushed for over 2600 yards and 29 touchdowns last season and is now aiming to win Rookie of the Year and rush for 1,000 yards+.
As far as the defender he is most looking to face, it is San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner.
Ashton Jeanty Calls Fred Warner “a complete linebacker”
Jeanty is known for running through defenders, and sometimes it takes multiple defenders to tackle him. But a battle with Warner will be worth watching, with the 49ers nowhere in contention for running back at the 2025 NFL Draft.
In an interview with RG ahead of the draft, Jeanty named Warner as the defender he was most looking forward to facing, claiming he wanted to see how good the latter was in real life.
“He’s considered the best guy in the league right now in Fred Warner,” Jeanty said. “Just to play against him, see how good he really is in real life. It’s just high motor every single play. He doesn’t take any plays off. He goes sideline to sideline, he’s everywhere on the field. He can really cover at an extremely high level as well. He’s just a complete linebacker.”
Warner was drafted 70th overall by the 49ers in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he has made four Pro Bowls with 569 solo tackles, 10 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, and 53 passes defended.
Warner was highly productive in college, just like Jeanty is. He rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns while leading Boise State to its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff last year, and now has eyes set on a Super Bowl ring.
“Rush for 1,000-plus rushing yards, go to the playoffs,” Jeanty responded when asked about his first-season objectives. “Hopefully, I’m on a good enough team to get a shot at the Super Bowl. I think every rookie is going after the Rookie of the Year award.”
Jeanty further mentioned that getting picked by the Dallas Cowboys, his hometown team, would be a “dope” thing.
In PFSN’s latest mock draft, Cameron Sheath answered the call. He predicted the Cowboys would trade up for No. 8 to pick Jeanty, sending Nos. 12 and 44 to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Nos. 8, 74, and 146.
“After Jeanty falls past both the Raiders and the Jets, the Dallas Cowboys make a move to get their guy. I feel the Cowboys would need to move ahead of the Chicago Bears if they wanted Jeanty in this scenario. And, for reasons that will become clear, the New Orleans Saints weren’t budging,” Sheath wrote.
“Dallas neglected its running back room in 2024 and paid the price. Only two teams managed fewer rushing yards per attempt than the Cowboys did last season (4.0), while none scored fewer rushing touchdowns (six).”
“The team’s starting running back, Rico Dowdle, is now with the Carolina Panthers after being allowed to leave in free agency. And the team’s efforts to replace him have so far failed to inspire, making this a very plausible landing spot for Jeanty. With Dak Prescott healthy and an elite running-back prospect lining up beside him, the Cowboys could get back to their winning ways in 2025.”