Ashton Jeanty to NFL general managers: ‘It’s tackle football … I’d draft the guy they can’t tackle’

Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns last year

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, Ashton Jeanty penned a thoughtful letter to NFL general managers in The Players’ Tribune.

Jeanty closed the piece with a simple message to the league’s 32 GMs.

“It’s tackle football … you know what I’m saying?,” Jeanty wrote. “I’d draft the guy they can’t tackle.”

Jeanty was a tackle-breaking machine during his junior season at Boise State, running for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on 374 carries. He led the nation in all three categories en route to a runner-up finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

I was born to play this game. This one goes out to all the NFL GMs, I hope you read this. @PlayersTribune
https://t.co/8Awf7akT7A

— Deuce 2️⃣ (@AshtonJeanty2) April 16, 2025

Jeanty is the consensus top running back prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, which will run April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Here is a collection of opinions from draft analysts on where Jeanty will land.

1. Chad Reuter, NFL.com: No. 4 to New England Patriots

Rationale: “In this scenario, the Patriots take the best player on the board and meet their need at offensive tackle with picks in the second and fourth rounds. New head coach Mike Vrabel knows the value that a premier back can bring, having watched Derrick Henry carry his previous Titans teams to the playoffs. While Jeanty’s not as big as Henry, he has considerable power through contact and the burst to create explosive plays in the run game.”

2. Marc Ross, NFL.com: No. 7 to New York Jets

Rationale: “With Justin Fields under center, it would be wise for the Jets to bulk up the ground game. Breece Hall has been OK, but pairing him with a future star in Jeanty would give new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand the kind of two-headed monster in the backfield that the assistant coach worked with in Detroit. A potent rushing attack is something that ultimately would fuel Fields' growth as a quarterback.”

3. Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports: No. 6 to Las Vegas Raiders

Rationale: “Is he worthy of this pick? He’s the best running back in this draft. Geno Smith is very good on play-action. Pete Carroll’s career — he was great when he had Reggie Bush and LenDale White in college and Marshawn Lynch in Seattle. They had the worst rushing attack in the NFL last season.”

4. Garrett Podell, CBS Sports: No. 6 to Las Vegas Raiders

Rationale: “New Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is recreating the Seahawks in Las Vegas. Geno Smith is his quarterback once again after the Raiders sent a 2025 third-round pick the Seahawks’ way, and the team's new extension for him locks him down in Las Vegas through the 2027 season. Now, Carroll gets his new Marshawn Lynch in Ashton Jeanty, a true bell cow fresh off rushing for the second-most yards in Division I history (2,601, just 28 yards behind Barry Sanders' all-time record).

5. Dustin Adams, A to Z Sports: No. 4 to New England Patriots

Rationale: “Some people may be shocked by this but hear me out. Ashton Jeanty is looked at by many around the league as a blue-chip prospect and I don't think the Patriots should be turning away that possibility. Mike Vrabel saw first-hand the benefit of having a dominant starting running back during his days with Derrick Henry and the Titans. And giving Drake Maye a consistent run game would go a long way for his personal development.”