Where would Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty like to play in NFL? This ‘perfect city’
It’s a near certainty that Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will be heading to the NFL following his standout junior season.
The question then becomes: What team would want to draft Jeanty, and how high? Boise State fans probably can’t wait to add that to a jersey collection, whoever it might be.
Jeanty could become the first Bronco drafted in the first round since Leighton Vander Esch was taken 19th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. Most mock draft boards have Jeanty going in the first round, but it’s really anyone’s guess.
If Jeanty has his wish, he’d wind up in the same place Vander Esch did.
Jeanty appeared on the Kickin’ It With Dee YouTube show earlier this week. The show is hosted by Donald De La Haye, a former kicker for the University of Central Florida who is now with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League.
In a sitdown interview in Albertsons Stadium, De La Haye asked Jeanty numerous questions, including what team he’d like to see draft him.
“If I could script it … my family is all in Texas; I used to play in the Cowboys’ practice stadium. So, family being there, all the connections, all the relationships, I feel like that would just be the perfect city to play in.”
Jeanty was born in Florida and traveled a lot in his youth as part of a military family, including a stint in Naples, Italy. His family moved to Frisco, Texas, ahead of Jeanty’s freshman year of high school so he could gain more exposure as a football player. Frisco is about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas.
Right now several mock draft boards have Jeanty going to the Cowboys with the 11th overall pick, including Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports. That would make him Boise State’s highest-ever pick, just eclipsing offensive tackle Ryan Clady, who went to the Denver Broncos with the 12th overall pick in 2008.
Of course, draft orders will change between now and the end of the NFL season. But the Cowboys are looking for their next big running back, and they have a history of having Boise State players on their roster.
In April, Dallas re-signed former first-round pick Ezekiel Elliot to a one-year contract after previously letting him go. He is backing up Rico Dowdle, but the former South Carolina star also has missed time and isn’t exactly lighting it up for the 3-6 Cowboys, having rushed for just 374 yards this season.
The team has the second-worst rushing attack in the league, at 83 yards per game.
De La Haye also asked Jeanty who would win the Heisman Trophy if it were awarded today. Vegas Insider odds have Jeanty as the No. 3 favorite, behind Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Dillon Gabriel of undefeated Oregon.
“Me for sure,” Jeanty said with little hesitation. “You know I’ve gotta say me.”
“(Hunter) is balling, but I just feel like what I’m doing is just too special,” Jeanty continued.
Jeanty is the nation’s leading rusher with 1,734 yards, and also is tops in rushing touchdowns, with 23.
Earlier this season, Hunter appeared on the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast, saying, “It’s not like we haven’t seen a running back that’s good” when asked about Jeanty.
