There is no such thing as a perfect prospect in the NFL, but Ashton Jeanty is as close to one as possible. After an outstanding sophomore campaign, he took the college world by storm with a Heisman-level season. Jeanty had 374 carries for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns, and he led Boise State to a top-four seed in the college football playoffs. He cemented himself as the best running back by far in a loaded running back class in the 2025 NFL draft.
It’s hard to find a starting point when discussing Ashton Jeanty’s strengths, but the area of his game that sticks out the most is his ability to run through tackles and gain yards after contact.
Of his 2,600 yards this season, 1,970 of them came after contact. He had more yards after contact than any other RB had total yards in the nation. It is hard to find a clip of Jeanty getting taken down by the first tackle attempt in any game this year. He routinely turns a rush that should be around 2-3 yards into a gain of 7-8 yards.
A big reason he is so great after contact is his contact balance. Whether players go low or high, he bounces off of them like they aren’t there.
Jeanty possesses excellent vision, along with his elite tackle-breaking ability and contact balance. He can tell immediately if there is an open rushing lane. When hitting an open lane in the middle of the field, he runs with power and bursts, making it extremely difficult to bring him down.
He usually finds himself in the endzone when he goes untouched through the hole, as he has phenomenal breakaway speed. In the second game of the season against Oregon, he had three TDs, and the second one was a 70-yard run, where he hit the hole untouched and ran by everyone in the blink of an eye into the endzone.
When the initial rushing lane is closed, Jeanty bounces to the outside and uses his speed to turn the corner. He reads the defense immediately and knows if he has to bounce outside or stay inside. Defenders will typically load the box and crash the line of scrimmage, putting them at a disadvantage when he turns the corner. When he does turn it, he is tough to catch as he has a full head of steam.
Against Oregon, Jeanty’s first of three TDs came on a play where he bounced the run outside and went untouched into the endzone when turning the corner. Jeanty is not the fastest back in the draft, but he has elite long speed and shows that when he has a wide-open lane. If the initial defenders don’t get a hand on him, it is likely no one will.
He accelerates as he picks up steam and turns into a supercharged bowling ball. Either no one will catch him, or anyone who catches him will bounce right off him.
Along with being an elite rusher, Jeanty is a good receiver out of the backfield. Boise State didn’t use him much there last year due to his workload on the ground, but in 2023, he had 43 receptions for 569 yards and five touchdowns. With his ability out of the backfield, he profiles as a true three-down back.
It sounds simple when describing Jeanty’s strengths, but that’s because it is. From vision to contact balance to tackle-breaking to long speed, Ashton Jeanty has it all.
It was almost impossible to find a weakness in Jeanty’s game. He checks so many boxes. Of all the elements of his game, the two most notable flaws would be his pass protection and elusiveness, but they aren’t true weaknesses; he just isn’t as good in those areas as others.
As a pass blocker, he shows a lot of positives. He is a willing blocker who is not afraid of taking on larger defenders. He’ll stand in and take a hit while protecting the QB. The only actual flaw is his size. At just 5’9″ and 215 pounds, Jeanty can get overpowered by bigger defensive linemen and linebackers, but he still takes on the challenge of blocking them.
It will be an adjustment at the next level for him, as it is for every back, but he has shown instincts and willingness as a blocker, and that is what’s most important. The other “weakness” would be his lack of elusiveness, but he doesn’t need to make defenders miss with spins and jukes. He seeks contact and bounces right off of it.
If he wants, he can make a defender miss, but it is not part of his running style. Making defenders miss in the open field is excellent, but defenders try to tackle him in the open field, and they can’t, even when they get their hands on him. There is no need to try and avoid defenders when they can’t tackle him.
As mentioned above, these aren’t even fundamental weaknesses; they just are not as big of strengths as other aspects of his game. There is no true flaw in his game.
Finding a player comp for Jeanty was difficult as he is so unique, but he resembles Jonathan Taylor more than any other back.
Over his college career, Jeanty’s lowest average yards per carry was 5.3, and that was in his freshman season. Throughout the first five years of his NFL career, Taylor has averaged at least 4.4 yards per carry and as many as 5.5 yards per carry.
The two backs possess tremendous breakaway speed, especially Taylor, but they fight for extra yards and run through contact, especially arm tackles. They shrug off defenders as if they aren’t even there sometimes. The Colts star hits an open hole like he is shot out of a cannon, and Jeanty is the same in many ways. He doesn’t have Taylor’s elite top-end, but his long speed is outstanding.
In his second season, Taylor had 332 carries for 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns. He led the league in rushing by over 500 yards. In just 14 games last season for the Colts, he had 1,431 yards and 11 TDs on 303 attempts. He was the engine for that offense and a true difference-maker. Jeanty has the skill set to produce similar numbers.
The two also have similarities as pass catchers. Neither was used much in college, especially Taylor, but he has shown that he is a capable receiver out of the backfield in the NFL. He averaged 38 receptions and 330 receiving yards over his first two seasons but has since been used less in that role to keep him healthy. Regardless, Taylor showed that he could play all three downs in the NFL, and Jeanty could do the same.
The two backs are similar in size: Jeanty is 5’9″, 215 pounds, and Taylor is 5’10”, 226 pounds. They both have breakaway speed when untouched, but they fight for yards and run through tackles for extra yards. Taylor is not an overly elusive back who makes defenders miss with jukes and spins, but with his speed and strength, Jeanty is the same.
This hasn’t been a popular comp for Jeanty, but when considering the two players, it feels easy to make due to their speed and strength combination.
Josh Jacobs was another player that Jeanty resembled, specifically with his ability to bounce off defenders and gain steam as he ran. However, Taylor is much faster than Jacobs and accelerates much quicker, which is what led to his being the choice.
Ashton Jeanty is a powerful runner with breakaway speed. He has an elite contact balance and hardly notices defenders’ tackle attempts at times. He is an underrated receiver who should see more work out of the backfield in the NFL. Ashton isn’t the most elusive back, but he doesn’t need to be as simply runs through and by defenders. He is a patient runner with elite vision and hardly ever gets tackled on the first attempt.
After being the focal point of the Boise State offense, Jeanty will have NFL talent all around him, which will make it even tougher to gameplan against him. He has elite upside, as safe a floor as any prospect, and the best running back in the class. He is also a top-three player in the 2025 NFL draft.
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