Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is about to break a recent trend. He is on pace to be selected in the top half of the 2025 NFL Draft, which hasn’t happened often in the current professional football landscape.

Only five running backs have been taken in the first round over the past five NFL Draft cycles. Last year, no running back was selected until the second round. Three of the five running backs taken in the first round were selected 24th overall or lower.

Jeanty, with his electric playmaking ability and hard running style, will join the likes of Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs as one of the rare early first-round selections at the position in recent years.

And if you believe Dane Brugler The athletic, Jeanty might be the only running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, selected in Round 1. He was asked if he picks Jeanty or Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II as the top pick in the draft.

Right now, Jeanty is the only running back I think should be taken in the first round. I’m not giving up on Gordon by any means, but my concerns about him over the summer – particularly his lack of physicality – remain significant issues. This is part of the reason he’s averaging just 3.5 yards per carry in 2024. There is a clear divide between the two backs as prospects.

– Dane Brugler – The athletic one

Through three games into the 2024 college football season, Jeanty has compiled gaudy stats. He has totaled 471 yards and nine touchdowns on just 50 touches, displaying home run skills that have wowed fans and NFL scouts alike.

Jeanty has also been unanimously selected by the NFL draft gurus at ESPN for the best running back in the 2025 NFL Draft class. If there’s such a thing as a can’t-miss prospect, it’s him. He will soon prove his worth as a first-round draft pick on Sunday.