Jeanty had an incredible season for Boise State in 2024.
Imagine the Minnesota Vikings’ offense adding Ashton Jeanty to the mix for the foreseeable future. That’s the situation that plays out in a new 2025 mock draft from NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers, who has Jeanty falling to the Vikings with the No. 28 pick in April.
“Aaron Jones on a one-year deal at age 30 has been a home run for the Vikings, but adding Jeanty to this offense next year would be flat-out ridiculous. He has some of the best balance and vision I’ve evaluated at the position and would be a day one star in Minnesota.”
The Vikings have other pressing offseason needs that could be addressed with their first-round pick — most notably defensive tackle and cornerback — but those can also be tackled in free agency by a team with no shortage of cap space. If Jeanty is somehow on the board when their pick comes up, one imagines it would be awfully tempting to bring him into the mix.
Jeanty tore up college football in 2024, rushing for a ridiculous 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on 374 carries. He added a 30th TD on a reception and finished a narrow second in Heisman Trophy voting behind Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. Jeanty, who helped Boise State reach the 12-team College Football Playoff, ran for at least 100 yards in all 14 games this season, going for over 200 in six of them. And while he wasn’t facing a power-conference schedule, he racked up 192 yards and three touchdowns against eventual No. 1 seed Oregon in September.
Jeanty’s combination of burst, agility, power, contact balance, and vision makes him a special runner. He wasn’t used as much as a receiver this season, but he did post a 43-569-5 line as a pass-catcher in 2023. Schedule aside, there aren’t many questions about his ability.
Jones has had an excellent season for the Vikings, totaling 1,546 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns in 17 games. But he turned 30 in December and is set to hit free agency. The Vikings could certainly use a young star like Jeanty at the running back position, who would provide an excellent complement to a passing game that features Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson. Jeanty’s power could theoretically help fix Minnesota’s struggles with running the ball in the low red zone.
The primary issue with this idea is that Jeanty seems unlikely to fall to the Vikings’ pick, which is going to land somewhere between No. 19 and No. 32 depending on postseason results. The Cowboys at No. 12 are a popular landing spot for him, and any number of teams could be interested. Even with running back being a somewhat devalued position in the modern game, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs worked out pretty well as the No. 8 and 12 picks in the 2023 draft, respectively.
What seems more likely is that the Vikings wind up taking a defensive tackle or cornerback late in the first round. The options at DT include Derrick Harmon, Walter Nolen, Kenneth Grant, Tyleik Williams, and Deone Walker. Some of the names to know at CB include Jahdae Barron, Shavon Revel Jr., Benjamin Morrison, and Trey Amos.