The 2024 NFL season felt like the year of the running back.
Saquon Barkley was at the forefront for the Philadelphia Eagles, registering a single-season NFL record for rushing yards (regular season and playoffs combined) en route to a Super Bowl victory — then netting a historic extension for running backs. Derrick Henry had a similarly massive impact in Year 1 with his new team, posting more than 1,900 rushing yards with the Baltimore Ravens. The superstars led the way in challenging the narrative that running backs aren’t as valuable in the modern NFL.
Can Ashton Jeanty be the next one to do the same?
The Heisman Trophy runner-up enters the league after rushing for 2,601 yards (second-most in FBS history) and 29 touchdowns last season at Boise State, where he starred the past three years. One of college football’s most dynamic players, Jeanty is expected to be a first-round pick. Some league observers peg him to go as high as No. 6 to the Las Vegas Raiders. All 32 NFL teams were represented at Jeanty’s pro day on Wednesday.
READ MORE: FOX Sports draft analyst Rob Rang’s 2025 NFL mock draft 3.0
As he continues his draft preparations, Jeanty spoke to FOX Sports about his roots, his role models and his NFL aspirations in a wide-ranging conversation. (Responses have been condensed and edited for clarity.)
FOX Sports: How has your Haitian culture shaped who you are?
Jeanty: “My dad was born in Haiti. My mom was born in the U.S., but both her parents are from Haiti.
“Talking about food, cuisine — just eating those traditional meals. But just the culture, man. Being in it. All the values of it. My family being from a country where not too many people make it out and are able to have great careers. There’s just so much in the history that’s gone on there. … That’s kind of the story. My dad moved over here when he was pretty young, in high school, to give himself a better life, and he gave his whole family that he raised a better life.”
FOX Sports: Is that culture something you take a lot of pride in, especially as you enter the NFL?
Jeanty: “Definitely. Just to put on for my people and just to really show everybody that no matter your situation, there’s always an opportunity for you to get to where you want to be. Don’t let your circumstances hold you back. Obviously, I was born in the U.S. and all that type of stuff, but I just learned from my dad, my family. So I just want to continue to be an inspiration for all Haitians.”
FOX Sports: What do you think makes you the next potential great running back in the NFL?
Jeanty: “A lot of people just talk about your attributes as a player. Like, I have the attributes that every one of the great running backs has. The ability to break tackles. The speed. The agility. The ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Running routes like a receiver. But I think most important to me is just the character of the person I am. I work harder than the rest, but I stay humble. I’m always striving to achieve more.”
Is Ashton Jeanty a can’t-miss prospect?
FOX Sports: Who are the running backs you’ve taken inspiration from or taken bits and pieces from their game and tried to incorporate into your own?
Jeanty: “One of the first guys I watched really closely was Marshawn Lynch because I just liked how hard he ran and the physical style. I mean, those crazy runs, breaking all those tackles. You talk about contact balance, right? Catching the ball out of the backfield. Lining up as a receiver. Catching it [like] Alvin Kamara. You talk about using that stiff arm, right? I look at Derrick Henry for that a lot. But I definitely just watched a lot of different guys. … Even now, since [people have] started comparing me to Barry Sanders, just watching his film and just seeing how elusive he is, trying to add that to my game.”
FOX Sports: The NFL community doesn’t seem to talk about your pass-catching ability as much, even though you were the leading receiving running back in the FBS in 2023. How much do you see that being part of your game at the next level?
Jeanty: “I feel people aren’t talking about [my pass-catching] because I didn’t have such a big year in the receiving game [in 2024]. And that’s just the type of offense we ran. We ran a pro-style offense. So that’s just how it is, right? But like you said, in 2023, I was the leading receiver [at running back], and I still think there’s a lot of improvement I can have in my game. Not just from a receiving standpoint, but a rushing standpoint. But as I transition into the NFL, I definitely would like to be used in each and every aspect of the game, being that I’m so versatile.”
FOX Sports: If someone asked you why you believe you’re the best overall player in this draft, what would you tell them?
Jeanty: “Everybody sees what I do on the field. That speaks for itself. But I think I’m the best player because [of my] character that goes with it — who I am as a person, a leader as soon as I step in whatever building or organization. I’ll make that team better before stepping on the field.
“I can connect with anybody. I think relationships are important, so I’ll build a lot of meaningful relationships. In the game of football, relationships are important because the closer you are to the guys you’re playing with, the harder you’re going to play with them and for them. And I think that’s really what separates me from everybody else.
“Everybody’s seen the film. They know what I can do on the field. But the person they’re getting is just special and one-of-one.”
FOX Sports: When you talk about that character and leadership you have, what does that look like?
Jeanty: “I’d say I’m just everything in one. It just depends on the situation, the circumstance, right? If in that moment I need to be the guy to get everybody hot, get everybody rolling, I’m gonna be that guy. But each and every single day, I’m gonna lead by example. From my habits and what I do. What time I show up in the building. What time I leave. How hard I work. And then also, sometimes, you gotta pull your guys to the side. You got to talk them up a little bit, get them going, because everybody’s process is different.”
FOX Sports: When you’re running on the field, what is going through your head?
Jeanty: “For me, it’s just processing information at a high level quickly. So before the ball even snaps, you know your play. You’re thinking about ‘Are you gonna execute this play?’ … and you think about where the defense is lined up, and how that’s gonna affect the play. And the ball snaps, then you make your reads, right?
“Let’s just say it’s a run play. You got to read the linebacker. Whatever gap he fits, you make your read off that. And then you also got the D-line, right? One of them might come free. So then it’s just reaction. But I think it’s a little bit of both — before the ball snaps, just reading, and then anticipation.”
FOX Sports: What’s the north star you’re chasing in football?
Jeanty: “To be the best. To be the best that’s ever played the game.
“For me, that’s always what I wanted out of playing sports. To be the best wherever I’m at. I feel there’s no reason to play the game if you don’t want to be the best, if you don’t want to compete. But I think in that there’s a lot of things that come with it. Being in the community, all that. Making others better around you.
“But I don’t just play for them. I play to be the best.”
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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