The word “generational talent” is probably thrown around too liberally by NFL draft analysts and bloggers alike each year, but Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty could indeed be the league’s next unicorn prospect.
The superstar running back flashed once-in-a-generation talent and production for the Cowboys in 2024, racking up an absurd 2,601 rushing yards to go with 23 receptions and 30 total touchdowns. Draft analysts have consistently mocked him to teams like the Las Vegas Raiders at pick No. 6 overall, the Chicago Bears at No. 10 and the Dallas Cowboys at No. 12.
But what if the consensus top-five player in the 2025 draft class actually gets taken in the top five picks?
Gennaro Filice of NFL.com made that argument for Jeanty in his last projections, sending him to a surprise team: the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 5 overall. Here was his take on the Jacksonville native going home to Duval County:
Seemingly everyone -- including our resident prospect rankers in these parts, Daniel Jeremiah, Eric Edholm and Lance Zierlein -- has Jeanty as a top-five player in this class. So, what’s stopping him from being selected in the top five picks of this draft? Travis Etienne Jr.'s efficiency declined in 2023, and his production fell off a cliff in ’24. Tank Bigsby emerged as a rusher in Year 2, but he still seems ideally suited as a bruising RB2. Feels like a nice place to insert Jeanty, who just so happens to be a Jacksonville native. Trevor Lawrence has been supported by a top-20 ground game once, and in that 2022 season, he earned his lone Pro Bowl nod while the Jaguars took the AFC South and made noise in the playoffs. Seems relevant.
The Jaguars have a number of roster needs, especially along the defensive line and secondary, but they may be the biggest wild-card team on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jacksonville has a new regime in head coach Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone. So far, the team has taken a cautious approach to the start of the new league year, moving on from some veteran players to help create opportunities for young talent to get on the field right away.
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Running back isn’t exactly a need for the Jaguars, with former first-round pick Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby forming a fine 1-2 punch. Coen is yet to make a splash on offense, however, and Etienne has been involved in trade rumors going back to the 2024 in-season deadline.
It would probably behoove the Jaguars to select a stud defensive lineman, like Mason Graham of Michigan, or potentially trade back a few spots for a cornerback to pair with the oft-injured Tyson Campbell. With that said, Coen might not be able to resist high-end talent like Jeanty, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren or Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan at No. 5 overall, so fans will want to have their popcorn ready when Jacksonville gets on the clock next week.
MORE: NFL Draft prospects 2025: Updated big board of top 200 players overall, ranked by position