One benefit to an embarrassing season like the one the New Orleans Saints had in 2024 is having a premium draft pick. After finishing the regular season 5-12, New Orleans currently possesses the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. With that pick, there are a ton of elite prospects the team could land. One of those prospects is running back Ashton Jeanty.
Why Ashton Jeanty should be on the Saints’ radar
Accolades: Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Unanimous All-American, Heisman Trophy Runner-up, Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year
2024 stats: 375 attempts, 2,595 yards, 29 touchdowns
Size: 5’9”, 219 lbs
Projection: Mid-late first-round
Ashton Jeanty is a workhorse running back with the ability to create explosive plays with broken tackles. The Heisman runner-up would be a dynamic weapon to help improve an offense lacking explosiveness.
Jeanty wrapped up a historic 2024 season by leading Boise State to the College Football Playoffs. He was the heartbeat of the Broncos offense, leading the FBS with 26.8 carries per game. Jeanty is capable of taking the majority of the workload for an offense. He may get hit frequently, but that hasn’t hindered his availability, as he has missed just one career game.
He has an innate ability to create explosive plays. He has 63 rushes that gained over 10 yards, nine more than the next closest. His breakaway speed makes it a challenge for defenses to catch him. According to the Athletic, Jeanty has reached speeds up to 22.5 miles per hour in 2024.
It’s rare to see Jeanty taken down by one defender. He has forced 151 missed tackles, miles above the next closest player at 102 (Cam Skattebo). Jeanty has stellar contact balance, allowing him to bounce off tackles. He has tallied more yards after contact (1,970) than any running back has total yards (1,712). This number isn’t this high because he has more carries than anyone else. Jeanty has more yards per attempt (6.9) and yards after contact per attempt (5.25) than any other running back with over 175 carries.
One of Jeanty’s best qualities is his combination of patience and vision. He allows his blocks to form and surveys the field to see what’s open. This makes the defense commit and allows Jeanty to see his path forward. If a defender makes an error he makes them pay, likely creating a big run.
Jeanty’s receiving ability has been overlooked due to his production on the ground. In 2023, he had 44 receptions for 578 yards and five touchdowns. He can run routes but thrives being a checkdown or running a screen. He is a valuable and reliable option for the quarterback while under pressure.
People may be concerned about the wear and tear Jeanty has received. In his three years at Boise State, he has 748 carries, which is a lot. However, with his track record of staying healthy, it isn’t something that would make a team not draft him.
The Saints offense lacked explosiveness in 2024, and running back depth alongside Alvin Kamara. Adding Ashton Jeanty would be a major step in fixing that. New Orleans should ponder the idea of either selecting Jeanty at nine or trading back in the first round to draft him.