NFL Draft preview: Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty could be a top-five pick; Ahmed Hassanein expected to go on Day 3

2025 NFL Draft runs Thursday through Saturday

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. | Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Two Boise State players are expected to hear their names called during the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Running back Ashton Jeanty, one of the top overall prospects in the draft, has been linked to the New England Patriots (No. 4 overall pick), Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 5), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6) and Chicago Bears (No. 10). Jeanty is considered unlikely to slide beyond the Raiders. 

Defensive end Ahmed Hassanein is projected to be a Day 3 selection. 

The three-day NFL Draft begins at 6 p.m. Mountain time Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

Here is the full 2025 NFL Draft schedule.

Thursday: First round, 6 p.m.

Friday: Second and third rounds, 4 p.m.

Saturday: Fourth through seventh rounds, 10 a.m.

Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up and top running back prospect available, is among the 16 players attending the draft in person. 

The 5-foot-8, 211-pound Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards — the second-highest total in FBS history — and 29 touchdowns during his junior season at Boise State. He finished his prolific three-year college career with 750 carries for 4,769 yards and 50 touchdowns while also catching 80 passes for 862 yards and six TDs.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has Jeanty ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in the draft. 

“Jeanty is a fun player to study,” Jeremiah wrote. “He is a short, compact runner with incredible strength, balance and burst. He displays outstanding vision, tempo and feel. On inside runs, the Boise State product has a unique ability to absorb and bounce off tacklers. He has quick feet and never stops driving on contact, leading to some miraculous escapes and home runs. He is rarely — if ever — tackled when presented with one-on-one situations at the second level, exhibiting the capacity to run through defenders, make them miss or just burst by them.

“He needs to improve his ball security, having fumbled nine times over the past two seasons. Overall, Jeanty might lack ideal size, but he’s a mixture of Dalvin Cook and J.K. Dobbins as a runner.”

In his final mock draft, analyst Todd McShay projected Jeanty to land with the Jaguars at No. 5 overall. 

“(Head coach) Liam Coen will all but put his foot down with this pick,” McShay wrote. “He needs an offensive weapon, and I’m told that it’ll be Jeanty if Jacksonville stays at No. 5.”

Jeanty is expected to become the highest-drafted player in Boise State history. The honor currently belongs to offensive tackle Ryan Clady, who went 12th overall to the Denver Broncos in 2008. 

The 6-foot-2, 267-pound Hassanein was also dominant for the Broncos last season, recording 48 total tackles and 9.5 sacks. 

Hassanein, who was born in the United States but grew up in Egypt, is set to become the first Egyptian to be drafted into the NFL. 

Several other Broncos are expected to land with NFL teams as undrafted free agents, including wide receiver Cam Camper, kicker Jonah Dalmas, guard Ben Dooley and safety Seyi Oladipo.