Ashton Jeanty selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in NFL Draft opening round, No. 6 overall

Jeanty blossomed into four-star prospect at Lone Star High School before dominating at Boise State

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

The running back revolution is underway in the NFL, and a former Texas high school football standout is set to take advantage of the groundwork laid by Saquon Barkley and others. 

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty — a graduate of Lone Star High School — put together a junior season for the ages, leading the country in carries (374), yards (2,601) and touchdowns (29). His reward was being selected at No. 6 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, Thursday night, by the Las Vegas Raiders.

The 5-foot-8, 211-pound dynamo recorded a staggering 1,970 yards after contact while forcing 164 missed tackles. 

Jeanty fell 28 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ FBS single-season rushing record and finished a close second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Colorado’s Travis Hunter, another top NFL Draft prospect. 

As Jeanty shredded Mountain West Conference defenses and led Boise State to the College Football Playoff, Barkley was putting up historic numbers for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Barkley, who ran for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 regular-season games, had a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, but the former Whitehall (Pennsylvania) star didn’t play in Week 18 to rest up for the playoffs.

The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl. 

Fellow backs Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor and Jahmyr Gibbs also had monster seasons in 2024.

The NFL’s running back renaissance couldn’t have come at a better time for Jeanty, who is widely expected to be an early selection in Thursday’s first round. 

“I think the value is definitely going back up courtesy of guys in the league doing it, but also guys in college playing at a high level,” Jeanty said of the running back position in a recent interview with CBS Sports. “I had a really great, historic season, but there were a lot of other great guys who had great seasons as well and did great things in college football. People are like ‘It’s a little running back renaissance,’ but I believe it’s here. The time is now to get you a great running back to be that X-factor for your offense.”

The son of a U.S. Navy chief petty officer, Jeanty moved frequently during his younger days. He became a college football prospect during his freshman season at Naples High School in Italy — not Florida — before the family relocated to Frisco, Texas. 

Jeanty played a variety of positions on both sides of the ball at Lone Star High School, including wide receiver, defensive end, linebacker and safety. He emerged as the team’s top offensive weapon as a senior, compiling 2,635 yards of total offense with 41 touchdowns. 

A late-rising four-star prospect, Jeanty was rated the nation’s No. 29 overall running back and the No. 45 player in Texas for the class of 2021 by 247Sports. He chose the Broncos over offers from California, Kansas and numerous others. 

Jeanty ran for 821 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman and nearly doubled his production the following year with 1,347 yards and 14 TDs while catching 43 passes for 569 yards and five scores.

He ended his Boise State career with 750 carries for 4,769 yards and 56 total touchdowns. 

Jeanty’s numerous honors include the 2024 Maxwell Award (college football player of the year) and Doak Walker Award (best running back in college football). He is a two-time MWC Offensive Player of the Year. 

The consensus top running back available in the 2025 NFL Draft, Jeanty could go as high as No. 4 overall to the New England Patriots. 

With players like Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton (Cleveland High School, North Carolina) entering the league, the NFL’s running back revolution doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. 

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-- Bob Lundeberg | @sblivesports