The 2025 NFL Draft from Green Bay, Wisc., is just over two weeks away from commencing. With teams narrowing down their shortlist of potential selections, where will some of the top prospects fall? After one of the best collegiate seasons by a running back, the sky is the limit for Ashton Jeanty. However, the question does not regard Jeanty’s talent; it is how highly NFL teams value the RB position in and of itself.
Ashton Jeanty Not Far From Being the Top Prospect in NFL Draft
Dane Brugler, an NFL Draft analyst with The Athletic, joined “The Jim Rome Show” to discuss how good Jeanty is.
Following a question from Rome regarding where Jeanty will go, Brugler was not shy to say he thinks Jeanty is among the best of the best. “I think you can make an argument he’s one of the best players in the draft,” Brugler said. “I think Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, one and two, and then Jeanty is kinda right there.”
"I think you could make an argument he's one of the best players in the draft. Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, one and two. Then [Ashton] Jeanty is right there."@dpbrugler on the Boise State RB's rising draft stock. pic.twitter.com/hvfPwlRMYr
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) April 10, 2025
Following the claim, Brugler continued by discussing how positional value could potentially set Jeanty back.
“Positional value is something that will be talked about quite a bit,” Brugler said. “But in this draft, relative to past years, it’s not a great year to have a pick in that 5-10 range because you’re just not getting what you would usually call a top-10 pick back on your return.”
“So, I think teams are gonna look at Ashton Jeanty and say, ‘You know what, would we usually draft a running back here? If there was a 1A pass-rusher, would we take him instead of the running back? Yes, but there isn’t. So we are gonna take the 1A running back,'” Brugler said
Brugler then mentioned several teams he can picture snagging Jeanty higher up in the draft despite its uniqueness.
“I think the [Jacksonville] Jaguars at five, the [Las Vegas] Raiders at six, and at the very least I don’t think he gets past the [Chicago] Bears at 10,” Brugler said. “Somewhere in that top 10, a team is gonna look at Ashton Jeanty and say the value is too much. What he could mean to our offense.”
The draft analyst goes on to explain a key trait of Jeanty’s that may not have been as advertised last season.
“We didn’t see it enough this year. We know he can do it in terms of the rushing yards and with the ball in his hands. He is a big-time pass catcher, and that is something that teams always bring up when you talk about Jeanty, how he impacts the passing game. So, I think that’s something maybe we didn’t see a lot this year that teams are really excited about. So, Ashton Jeanty, he’ll be off the board pretty quickly on draft night,” Brugler said.
As the 56-TD talent continues to receive high praise, what truly is his ceiling in terms of draft position?
Simulating Jeanty’s Spot in the 2025 NFL Draft
Using PFSN’s 2025 NFL Mock Draft Simulator, Brugler’s claim that Jeanty will not fall outside the top 10 stands strong. In this simulation, Jeanty fell to 10th with the Chicago Bears. Here, we see the two other teams Brugler mentioned select Will Johnson and Tetairoa McMillan, respectively.
Brentley Weissman of PFSN elaborated on how Jeanty’s generational talent should override the positional value at RB.
“There are few running backs in recent memory that are entering the draft with as much hype as Jeanty, and with good reason. Jeanty offers outstanding playmaking ability and has the game-breaking attributes that can justify a team spending high draft capital at a non-priority position such as running back,” Weissman said.
The clock is ticking for teams to decide whether spending early on Jeanty is worth the risk or not. Until April 26, there are no guarantees at all regarding Jeanty’s positioning.