Steelers Projected to Land Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty

With the college all-star games in the rearview mirror and the NFL Combine set to commence later this month, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the league are now fully immersed in the pre-draft process.

The Steelers have a number of different paths they can take in the early rounds once April comes around, but addressing the running back position in such a fashion isn't typically discussed among those possibilities.

However, with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren both on the verge of hitting free agency, albeit under different circumstances, NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah had Pittsburgh selecting Boise State's Ashton Jeanty at No. 21 overall in his latest mock draft.

"The Steelers spent the past two drafts beefing up their offensive line," Jeremiah wrote. "Now they land a top-five player in the class to run behind it."

Perhaps the term "generational" is used too willy-nilly nowadays, but it's not asinine to apply that verbiage to Jeanty.

This past season, he finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, was a unanimous All-American and won the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in college football after recording 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on 374 attempts, all of which led the country.

After Jeanty guided Boise State to a Mountain West Conference title, the program was awarded a bye in the opening round of the College Football Playoff before losing to Penn State in the quarterfinals.

Falling 27 yards short of Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record, Jeanty shouldn't have much trouble translating his success to the next level.

There's precedent for the Steelers taking a running back in the first round after doing so with Harris in 2021, and it would be quite poetic if his potential replacement came via the same means.

Pittsburgh, in all likelihood, would only ever draft Jeanty if Harris signed elsewhere. That logic doesn't necessarily apply to Warren, however, whom the team will tender a contract to and have the right of first refusal on as a result.

Should he return in this scenario, Jeanty would operate as the workhorse while Warren would back him up and form a lethal duo that could take the pressure off whatever quarterback the Steelers decide on this offseason.

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