Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty sees Cowboys as a preferred draft destination

The Ashton Jeanty conversation is going to tear Cowboys fans apart.

Already looking ahead at the 2025 NFL Draft in November wasn’t on the bingo card of a lot Dallas Cowboys fans heading into the season. However, sitting at 3-7 without Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season, the draft may be the lone bright spot of a very frustrating season for Dallas. The Cowboys are currently projected to have the number nine selection in the draft. They will be picking in the top half of the draft for the first time since they selected Micah Parsons in the 2021 draft.

As it gets closer to April, hundreds of mock drafts will come out and draft stories will come out about the interest that the team has in certain prospects. However, one college star is already throwing his name in the hat for the Cowboys to consider with their first-round pick.

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty has been nothing short of spectacular this season in college football. In just 10 games the junior has 256 carries for 1,893 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. Despite playing against a loaded defensive box nearly every snap, he’s averaging a staggering 7.4 yards per carry. He’s arguably the sole reason that Boise State is 9-1 and has a real opportunity to be in the first ever 12-team college football playoffs.

When asked this past week about where he would like to be drafted, Jeanty made it known that the Cowboys would be a great fit.

“If I can script it – my family’s all in Texas. All of the connections, all of the relationships, I just feel that would be the perfect city to play in.”

This isn’t the first time that Jeanty has acknowledged the Cowboys as a great fit. In a livestream earlier this season, Jeanty mentioned that he could be a ‘hometown hero’ if selected by Dallas in April.

The last college star who openly talked about wanting to be a Cowboy heading into the draft was Micah Parsons. The Cowboys made his wish come true, and the rest is history.

There is no doubt that Jeanty would make the Cowboys immensely better in the run game. His presence would force the opposing defense to respect the Cowboys ability to run the ball, making Dak Prescott’s job much easier and opening up opportunities for CeeDee Lamb and the rest of receiver room.

The question isn’t about Jeanty’s talent or his fit in Dallas, it is if the Cowboys would be willing to draft him as early as they would have to. Jeanty is a first-round talent and many fans believe that running back is too easy to replace to spend a premium pick on one. The last time the team drafted one in the first round was Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick in 2016. Elliott immediately elevated the Cowboys as a team and led the league in rushing his first season in the league. It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys believe Jeanty could have a similar impact, or if they will continue to overlook the position.