No matter your persuasions or rooting interests as a College Football fan. The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony was a watershed moment for the sport as a collective. A lot of prejudice and a lot of notions, both fair and fallacious, got dispelled on that podium in New York. Travis Hunter’s triumph cut right through a couple of nagging stereotypes. That the Heisman is transitioning into a quarterback-only honor. It can’t be won by a player plying their trade outside the B1G of the SEC. Unfortunately for finalist Ashton Jeanty, he wasn’t the one dispelling these fallacies and creating history. However, he can still take solace from a generational season as he looks ahead to the next step of his football life- The NFL. First, he’s got to navigate the draft itself.

According to the Chinese, 2024 was the Year of the Dragon. Over in America, though, it was the year of the running back. Across the top two rungs of the football ladder, the tethering position has been resuscitated back into vogue. The evolution of the game towards a more passing style was putting a lid on even the best RBs. Preventing their talent from bubbling over. However, things changed last season. In the NFL, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry became massive flag-bearers for a return to form last season. Down a rung in CFB, Ashton Jeanty epitomized this upturn. This upturn for RBs has spilled over into the draft process. Teams are now more open to drafting them higher than what’s been the consensus over recent seasons. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs serve as examples. Now, Jeanty might be the latest RB picked inside the lottery.

Over “The McShay Show”, the namesake host Todd McShay and his long-term associate, fellow draft analyst and co-host Steve Muench broke down Ashton Jeanty’s draft stock. With the Draft approaching quicker than Jeanty can run for a first down, there is a certain finality to what the analysts say now.  Muench, for one, is completely sold on Jeanty. Not only as a pick but at a number that would traditionally be seen as too valuable to draft a RB at. “ I love to talk about superpowers with players…[Jeanty’s] superpower is his ability to break tackles. No one’s impossible to tackle. But man, it’s tough to get him on the ground” said Steve Muench. He proceeded to elaborate on his assessment. Todd McShay also chimed in with some flattering comps for Jeanty in the NFL.

Muench pointed to Jeanty’s low center of gravity being a trait he utilizes best. “He’s built low to the ground. His lower body strength is impressive. How hard he runs. To me, that’s his superpower. But not far behind are the instincts. The vision, the patience. Understanding how to hit the hole and where that hole is going to open up [in the defense],” McShay then spoke about Ashton Jeanty possessing a skill every modern RB needs. The ability to catch passes out of the backfield. Something the likes of the aforementioned Jahmyr Gibbs and Christian McCaffrey have in heaps. “I do like him a lot in the passing game,” remarked McShay. “I don’t think he’s elite, but I see shades of Alvin Kamara and shades of Saquon Barkley” 

Steve Muench put a ribbon on his assessment of Jeanty with “He deserves all of the praise that he’s gotten. You know, I’m not a big proponent of drafting running backs in the first round, let alone early. [But Jeanty] deserves to be drafted early,” he said. RBs have relatively shorter careers than other position groups. That, alongside how the offenses are evolving in terms of a pass-first directive, plays into why the position often doesn’t reciprocate the value of a 1st rounder. But sometimes, a special player demands recalibration to the norm. Ashton Jeanty is just that. Which is why the Chicago Bears reportedly had them pencilled in as a strong option with their no.10 pick. However, a team in the AFC is being predicted to swoop in before the Bears are even on the clock!

Bears’ reported plans of drafting Ashton Jeanty caught out by a team drafting higher

There’s a reason Jahmyr Gibbs’ skill as a pass-catcher and draft position (#12) is worth discussing in the context of Ashton Jeanty. Since Ben Johnson, his OC with the Lions is now head coach of divisional rivals Chicago. The offensive whiz that Johnson is helped Gibbs earn the reverence he has across the league. Johnson also recognizes the value a great, dual-threat running back brings to his schemes. After the Bears went and addressed their issues at the line of scrimmage in free-agency, drafting Jeanty became very viable. Caleb Williams’ O-line is looking much better, so why not compliment him with an even more potent run game. It all makes so much sense that it may, in fact, have been too good to be true.

Jeanty has gone from a potential first-rounder to a potential lottery pick to now being projected to go #6 to the Raiders. Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated said “The Raiders are thought to be debating wide receiver or Jeanty in Round 1. The only way the Bears could get Jeanty, if the Raiders really do want him, is if they traded up from No. 10 and gave away a draft pick to get him at Nos. 4 or 5.” Before this recent wave of free agents and trades, you’d have thought the Bears will go for an O-lineman, and the Raiders will go QB (which they still could). Well, the Bears just signed 3. Meanwhile, the Raiders traded for Geno Smith. Plans have been flipped on their heads, and the Bears are now in a conundrum.

Ashton Jeanty does seem like an elite pick all round. That said, moving up from #10 to #5 to leapfrog the Raiders will require draft capital that could well be too much. Spending a first-round pick on a RB is already somewhat rich, but moving up those places could mean the Bears ultimately end up spending multiple first-round picks and more. That’s perhaps just a little too much, even for a player of this ilk. As for Jeanty himself, he’ll be pleased to know there’s no shortage of suitors. He’ll hope to continue this ascension in the hiveminds of the NFL and media beyond his Pro Day.