Ashton Jeanty

No matter how you slice it, Jeanty is a top-five back out the gate. He has a true three-down skillset and should get all the volume that he can handle. He's a tackle-breaking maven. A skill that I have no doubt will translate to the NFL. Across his final two collegiate seasons, Jeanty ranked first and third in yards after contact per attempt and first and second in elusive rating (per PFF). Las Vegas will feature the run prominently, and Jeanty's receiving upside gives him an insane ceiling for 2025. During Chip Kelly's tenure in the NFL, his offenses have never ranked lower than 11th in rushing attempts. Also, during Kelly's four years as an NFL offensive coordinator, in three of those seasons, his backfields had a 16.6-17.7% target share, but he also flooded his Philly backfield with targets in 2015 (28.7%). Jeanty could push for near the top end of that range. In 2023, he ranked first in receiving grade and second in yards per route run. Jeanty is primed for a rookie season that could rival Saquon Barkley's rookie year.

Ashton Jeanty might be the only foolproof rookie pick in this year's class. His prospect profile is dazzling, and the Raiders will turn their backfield over to him after drafting him sixth overall. Jeanty's 2024 stats are absurd: 2,601 rushing yards, 7.0 yards per carry, 30 total touchdowns. He played against lesser competition in the Mountain West Conference but did just fine in games against top competition, with 200 scrimmage yards and three TDs against Oregon and 126 yards from scrimmage against Penn State in the CFB playoffs. Extraordinary contact balance is Jeanty's calling card. It's so hard to knock this guy off his feet. Jeanty forces a ton of missed tackles and is a Houdini-like escape artist in close quarters. Jeanty is also a good pass catcher. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly likes to operate at a breakneck pace, which is good for Jeanty. Fast pace = more plays = more Jeanty touches. This is an easy choice for the No. 1 pick in rookie drafts regardless of format.

Over three seasons, Ashton Jeanty rushed for 4,760 yards on 748 carries (6.4 YPA) with 50 touchdowns. He 5-foot-9 and 215-pound RB had just 10 fumbles on 748 carries (1.3% rate) and displayed steady year-over-year growth, particularly excelling as a receiver in his second season.
According to Football Insights, Jeanty finished his collegiate career with the highest missed tackle forced per touch rate (39%). His career dominator rating ranks inside the top five. His yards per play (3.4) mark is also elite.
His dominance as a junior - 43% dominator rating while rushing for an eye-popping 2,595 yards (6.9 YPA) and 29 touchdowns - puts him in an elite company heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
The last two rookie RBs drafted highly in the first round two years ago - Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs - finished as top 10 fantasy RBs in Year 1.