2 weeks Ago By Abbie Meehan
Ashton Jeanty has been backed as the one to watch in this year's NFL Draft, with one analyst stating that the Boise State Broncos running back has "everything you want" in an athlete. The NFL Draft will kick off on Thursday, April 24, and run through all 257 picks until Saturday, April 26. Fans will be glued to the screen for two days straight to watch who their franchise picks will be for the new season.
The ceremony will take place at Lambeau Field and Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin. While there are hundreds of eligible athletes to choose from, and plenty of hidden stars to discover throughout all seven rounds, the first round will be the one that most will be keeping their eye on, as these are the most sought-after athletes that tend to be chosen. One such athlete projected to be selected high is running back Jeanty , who is coming out of Boise State.
Across his three years in college football with the Broncos, Jeanty has a whopping 50 touchdowns and 4,769 rushing yards across 750 targets. In 2024, the 21-year-old led the NCAA Division I in rushing, with 2,601 in 14 games played, and was runner-up for the coveted Heisman Trophy - which was won by cornerback Travis Hunter. With an average of seven yards per carry last season, and a career-high of 29 touchdowns in his final year with Boise State, it is no surprise that Jeanty is being predicted to be picked high in the Draft.
However, it's not just NFL fans and teams who have praised Jeanty as a superstar; Phoebe Schecter, who works for Sky Sports in the UK, has also recently commended the running back. The NFL analyst has given her number one pick for the NFL Draft, as she appeared at a girls-only flag football event in Manchester in partnership with the Chicago Bears. The former Buffalo Bills coach and current sports broadcaster spoke exclusively to Mirror US about her thoughts on the league's "turbulent" offseason and who she would have on her team as a top Draft pick.
Schecter admitted that she hadn't had time to run through each eligible Draft athlete during the 2025 offseason, given how "crazy" some of the free agency moves had been for some franchises. She said: "I just think, the off season's been so crazy anyways with the way that free agency has kind of gone and the moves of different athletes from different teams. "It feels I feel like every year I'm saying it's getting crazier and crazier, but it genuinely is turning into madness - like in terms of who's moving where; Russell Wilson just signing with the Giants and Deebo Samuel signing with the Commanders, like moves you didn't think would happen.
"So I think there's just so much turbulence within that, that my focus hasn't even been on a Draft, because I'm like, this is crazy what's going on here! I have to like keep track of where all these players have gone from one scene to another in a matter of like two weeks." However, Schecter picked out Jeanty as her one to watch for 2025, claiming that the running back is the complete athlete that any franchise would be lucky to have on their roster. She explained: "I like Ashton Jeanty, the running back.
"I think he is one of the guys I liked, during our NFL season, watching him in college. I just think he's humble, a true workhorse and as a running back, I mean, he's explosive, he's strong, he's physical, he's everything that you want, and then a great team player on top of it." Should Jeanty go high in the Draft, he could be joining a franchise crying out for a running back in their ranks, and become one of the league's top stars in the future.
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