Boise State running back, 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist and potential Dallas Cowboys draft target Ashton Jeanty announced on Tuesday that he’ll be declaring for the 2025 NFL draft.
Jeanty, whose Boise State team was knocked out of the College Football Playoff on the final day of 2024, is projected to be the top running back selected in the rookie class of 2025.
Jeanty finished second in Heisman voting after a brilliant year in which he nearly toppled one of college football’s most historic records. He rushed for 2,497 yards during the regular season, coming just short of Barry Sanders’ all-time record of 2,628 yards. Jeanty added another 104 yards in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Penn State.
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He finishes his Boise State career with 4,769 yards over three seasons.
“I want to thank Boise State and the coaches who recruited me and gave me a chance to show my greatness,” Jeanty said in the social media post that announced he’ll be declaring. “The opportunity to play in the NFL is a dream of mine, and I’m proud to represent Boise State and all of those who have helped me along the way at the next level.”
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The announcement is of course no surprise, as Jeanty has been one of college football’s biggest stars and best prospects for over a year now. But it’ll still be of interest to fans of the Dallas Cowboys, who are no doubt the betting favorite for where Jeanty could end up in April’s draft.
The Cowboys had one of the worst (if not the worst) rushing attacks in all of football along a 7-9 season in which they missed the playoffs. They don’t have a clear-cut starting running back for next season.
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Meanwhile, Jeanty got his start in North Texas at Frisco Lone Star. He’s already tabbed the Cowboys as the team by whom he would most like to be selected in the draft, and one of the Cowboys’ biggest stars, Micah Parsons, singled out Jeanty as someone the defensive end would love to have as a teammate. Jeanty has also been mocked to Dallas in multiple mock drafts.
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Seems like Jeanty would be a fit in Dallas, on the surface at least. Will he make it to No. 12, where the Cowboys will pick in the first round, and will the Cowboys pull the trigger if he does? We’ve got a few months to think about it.
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