Broncos Get Discouraging Update on Rumored RB1 Draft Target

The Denver Broncos have been heavily linked with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty since the offseason draft conversation began. It's an obvious pairing, given the Broncos' desperate need at running back.

However, there is a concern that Jeanty will hear his name called before the Broncos go on the clock. And those fears were further emphasized over the weekend by CBS Sports.

CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin laid out his five best NFL fits for Jeanty. The Broncos were the second-best fit, sitting with the No. 20 overall pick, but Benjamin considered the Dallas Cowboys a "match made in heaven," picking No. 12 overall.

Benjamin laid out why the Broncos are his No. 2 fit for Jeanty.

“Bo Nix proved in 2024 that he's got an 'it' factor as the Broncos' young quarterback. Now it's time for Sean Payton to surround the signal-caller with legitimate weaponry," Benjamin wrote. "Jeanty could offer that and then some. The fact Payton shuffled between Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and even Audric Estime throughout last season indicates this team is ripe for a fresh investment at the position.”

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Benjamin's logic hammers home exactly why the Broncos must add a dynamic running back this offseason. Nix did a great job, but the Broncos' lack of a running game or a legit weapon from the position held the offense back. The constant shuffling between backs didn’t help the offense find footing in the running game.

The concern with landing Jeanty isn’t only the Cowboys. While the Broncos sit second, Benjamin's fifth-ranked and fourth-ranked teams for Jeanty also go no the clock before No. 20. The Las Vegas Raiders, who pick sixth overall, were Benjamin's fifth-ranked team, and the Cincinnati Bengals, ranked fourth and pick at No. 17.

The Broncos could get ahead of the Bengals if it came to a trade-up. Still, leapfrogging the Cowboys wouldn't be ideal cost-wise, and getting in front of the Raiders would be nearly impossible, at least without giving up significant future capital for a running back, which Denver wouldn't want to relinquish to its biggest rival anyway.

It's possible the Raiders and Bengals could draft Jeanty, but the Cowboys remain the biggest threat. Jeanty went to high school in Frisco, Texas, where the Cowboys are headquartered, which Benjamin includes in his 'best fit' logic. Dak Prescott, who is coming off an injury, is at his best when he has a legitimate ground game, and Jeanty could help bring that.

Jeanty is the best running back prospect in the 2025 draft, and he makes sense for many teams. The question is, how much do the Broncos want to invest in a running back when the position's value in the NFL isn’t great?

Is it worth the Broncos trying to trade up in front of the “match made in Heaven” Cowboys? The only ones who can answer that are Broncos head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton.

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