Jeanty finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up after an incredible season for Boise State.
The Vikings are one of several teams who have a formal meeting scheduled with star Boise State running back and Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty at this week’s NFL combine, according to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler.
The following teams have formal meetings scheduled with Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, per source:
• Giants
• Broncos
• Vikings
• Steelers
• Colts
• Bears
• Chargers
• Ravens
• Saints— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) February 25, 2025
Jeanty had one of the most prolific running back seasons in modern college football history for the Broncos last year as a junior, racking up 2,739 yards from scrimmage and 30 touchdowns in 14 games. 2,601 of those yards and 29 of the touchdowns came on the ground, where he averaged seven yards per carry on a whopping 374 attempts despite sitting at the end of a few blowout wins during the year. With remarkable vision, burst, agility, and contact balance, Jeanty is the consensus No. 1 RB prospect in this year’s draft and a first-round lock.
The Vikings will very much be in the market for a running back or two heading into this draft. It remains to be seen if they’ll bring back Aaron Jones or Cam Akers in free agency, but even if they do re-sign Jones — who had over 300 touches and 1,500 yards from scrimmage last season — they likely wouldn’t want the 30-year-old to have a similar workhorse role. This year’s running back draft class is a loaded one, which should provide the Vikings plenty of opportunities to find a key young contributor for 2025 and beyond.
The obvious question with Jeanty is whether or not he makes it to the Vikings’ pick at 24. The Cowboys, with the No. 12 pick, are a popular landing spot for the Boise State star in mock drafts. After that, teams like the Broncos at 20, Steelers at 21, and Chargers at 22 could all potentially select Jeanty before the Vikings are on the clock. Thus, Minnesota might need to trade up to land his services, but that may or may not make much sense for a team with very few picks this year, considering the number of other talented RB prospects in this draft.
The Vikings seem more likely to trade down than up in this year’s first round, but if Jeanty is there at 24, he’s one of those prospects that are too good to pass up.
Vikings meet with defensive linemen
Speaking with KFAN’s Paul Allen on Tuesday, Kevin O’Connell said the Vikings kicked off their formal interviews by meeting with several defensive linemen on Monday night in Indianapolis.
“We had a great start to our formals last night, our interview process here,” O’Connell said. “All D-linemen, and they were fantastic.”
One of those interviews that was reported, which we covered yesterday, was with massive Florida nose tackle Cam Jackson, an intriguing projected Day 3 pick.
Another name on that list, according to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, is Toledo’s Darius Alexander, a borderline first-round pick who had a huge Senior Bowl week last month. Alexander was a five-year player at Toledo who raised his stock in Mobile and could be a good Vikings target if they trade down into the second round.
Some of the top DT prospects at this year’s combine with a chance to be available at the Vikings’ first-round pick include Walter Nolen (Ole Miss), Derrick Harmon (Oregon), Kenneth Grant (Michigan), and Tyleik Williams (Ohio State).