You don’t have to be on the internet for very long to understand that there is one player who is the apple of every Denver Broncos fan’s eye in the 2025 NFL draft. That one player is Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
If there is a slight regression in thinking when it comes to running backs when the draft rolls around, Jeanty might still wind up in Denver. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon put together one draft day “dream scenario” for all 32 NFL teams, and the one for the Broncos puts the Heisman Trophy runner-up in head coach Sean Payton’s offense with the No. 20 overall pick.
“Ashton Jeanty slides into the middle of Round 1 (entirely feasible considering the running back culture) and the Broncos pounce, immediately bolstering their offense for Bo Nix to build in his sophomore season,” Gagnon wrote on April 4.
Jeanty is not only benefiting from his own incredible 2024 season after he led the FBS with 2,601 rushing yards, 29 touchdowns and averaged 7.0 yards per carry, but also from what we like to call the “Barkley Boost” after Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley almost single-handedly brought the NFL market for running backs back to life in 2024.
Barkley, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, signed a 3-year, $37.75 million free agent contract with the Eagles before the 2024 season then proceeded to become not only the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season but also led his team to a Super Bowl win.
Jeanty Draws Comparison to Pro Football Hall of Famer
If you’re deep in the draft game, you know NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein’s pre-draft profiles to be mostly spot on and they’ve become valued for not overhyping players when it comes to NFL comparisons.
That’s why it’s important to stand up and take notice when Jeanty drew an NFL comparison from Zierlein to Pro Football Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson — one of the greatest players in NFL history.
Tomlinson was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers and went on to become the 2006 NFL Most Valuable Player, a 6-time NFL All-Pro and 5-time Pro Bowler.
“Jeanty plays a position that has become devalued on draft day, but his unique talent and the resurgence of the run game in the NFL should force teams to reconsider that factor when weighing his value,” Zierlein wrote. ” … This top-flight running back is capable of becoming the face of an offense in a league where the pendulum might be swinging back to the running game. Jeanty has future All-Pro talent.”
Broncos Lost Leading Rusher in Free Agency
The Broncos made the playoffs for the first time in a decade in 2024 and did so despite not having any discernible rushing attack — the Broncos haven’t had a player rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season since 2019.
Payton and his staff’s regard for their current group of running backs was underlined when Denver didn’t lift a finger when leading rusher Javonte Williams (513 yards, 4 touchdowns) left to join the Dallas Cowboys in free agency on a 1-year, $3 million contract.
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