Boise State football legendary running back Ashton Jeanty earned a very encouraging NFL comp ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville, Florida native is coming off one of the greatest seasons in college football history. Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading the Broncos to their first-ever College Football Playoff berth. That rushing total is the second-highest in college football history, behind the great Barry Sanders.
Now, Ashton is moving onto the NFL and is the clearcut top-rated RB in this year’s draft. And Pro Football Focus, while rating him as the fifth-overall prospect, gave Jeanty a comparison that should warrant the star tailback being a very high first-round pick.
“After rushing for over 2,600 yards in 2024 and earning back-to-back rushing grades above 94.0 over the last two seasons, Jeanty’s NFL comparisons should be notable names. Alvin Kamara is the one that sticks out to me due to how Kamara-like Jeanty is at taking contact for a very high yards-after-contact average, as well as what he can do in the receiving game.”
Alvin Kamara is a terrific comparison for Ashton Jeanty
Every player is different. And there are certain things that Jeanty does better than Kamara on the field, such as blocking, that potentially make the Boise State football standout a higher-ceiling prospect. But having an NFL comp to the New Orleans Saints star is a significant complement to any college back. Alvin Kamara is a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, and a former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
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Jeanty being compared to Kamara is also a major complement to one of Jeanty’s most underrated traits: pass-catching. Kamara has been one of the best pass-catching backs in the league over his eight-year career. While Jeanty only had 138 yards receiving this past season, the Broncos superstar had 569 yards receiving in 2023.
Ashton, ultimately, had so many touches on the ground that Boise State featured him less as a receiver. But he is very capable of handling this facet of an offense. Kamara’s trademark balance and ability to bounce off tackles have also been one of Jeanty’s signatures throughout his career. Ashton had a staggering 1,889 yards after contact in 2024, and 143 missed tackles forced.
Overall, this recent NFL regular season and postseason showcased how valuable the running back position still is. Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry had historic seasons on the ground and carried that success into the playoffs. Even in Super Bowl 59, where Barkley was largely contained, the Kansas City Chiefs constantly had to stack the box to hold him in check, which opened up the passing attack for Jalen Hurts and company.
Ashton Jeanty should be a very high first-round pick, and it looks like he will be. It probably won’t be by the New Orleans Saints since Kamara is still in his prime, but who knows? After all, the head coach for the Saints is now Boise State football legend Kellen Moore.
