Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman Trophy-worthy season shows that he could be the missing ingredient for the Vikings offense
The NFL Draft hasn't been the friendliest to the Minnesota Vikings under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. His draft classes have not delivered the type of talent that you would have expected considering he has made 23 selections over his three drafts. In those drafts, the only true quality starter is Jordan Addison. Now, there are […]
The NFL Draft hasn't been the friendliest to the Minnesota Vikings under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
His draft classes have not delivered the type of talent that you would have expected considering he has made 23 selections over his three drafts. In those drafts, the only true quality starter is Jordan Addison.
Now, there are some caveats there. Cornerback Khyree Jackson passed away this offseason, J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus and Dallas Turner isn't asked to be a starter yet due to the sheer depth at the position.
With the Vikings in their current spot, they need to find a combination of young depth since they are the second-oldest team in the National Football League and impactful starters.
With this in mind, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should swing for the fences and take a running back with their first round pick: Boise State's Ashton Jeanty.
Ashton Jeanty should be the next great Vikings running back
Taking a running back in the fist round is one of those tabboo things that will have you looked at with a side eye. It happened with Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs in 2023 and also in 2018 when Saquon Barkley went second overall.
It's going to happen this year with Jeanty, even though he's arguably the best of the bunch.
Going into the Mountain West Championship game against UNLV, Jeanty had over 2,200 yards and his yards after contact alone would have been the number one rusher in the FBS. He's an incredible player.
I wrote his draft profile for A to Z Sports and had to make a player comp. I don't really like making comps because it's incredibly hard to get the right one down. However, it was easy for Jeanty: Hall of Fame running back LaDanian Tomlinson.
It feels crazy to compare Jeanty to a Hall of Fame running back, but this comparison comes from a strictly playstyle perspective. Jeanty has a similar build to Tomlinson, jump cuts at a high level and is a true three-down running back.
That skillset is also why Jeanty is likely going to be a first-round pick. He's drawing comparisons to Barry Sanders from a production perspective and it's completely valid. Jeanty is the type of player who could transform your offense from day one.
Ashton Jeanty does it all
You name it, Jeanty does it. He's a more than capable receiver out of the backfield and pass blocker. More importantly, Jeanty can both hit the explosive runs and do all the little things.
When it comes to explosive runs, Jeanty has 12 runs of 50+ yards this season. No other FBS program has more than seven. He hit another one with time winding down in the first half against UNLV on Friday night.
It's an incredible run. He stays extremely patient the entire run and explodes through the hole while eliminating the angle the safety had on him. These runs are littered all over his film this season.
You love to see the 50+ yard runs, but the majority of your wins are going to be under 20 yards. How you handle those is what will end up mattering most. Two things stand out about Jeanty: vision/patience and contact balance. Those paired with his really impressive jump cuts is why Tomlinson is the play style comp that I gave Jeanty
You can see the patience and contact balance in droves with these clips. He's nearly impossible to take down.
How Ashton Jeanty fits in Kevin O'Connell's offense
The bigger question is this: how doesn't Jeanty fit in what O'Connell wants to do?
- He runs the ball with efficiency and explosiveness.
- He catches the ball well
- Blocks in the passing game
- Has elite contact balance
These are all things that O'Connell likes in his running backs. In fact, you could say that Aaron Jones is all of those. Jeanty is similar in size to Jones but has a more muscular frame.
There has been one flaw in O'Connell's offenses: lack of consistency in the running game. O'Connell hasn't had a running back he can consistently trust and that extends to Jones, who has fumbled four times in the last three weeks.
You give O'Connell a player like Jeanty with J.J. McCarthy the ability to rely on three exemplary skill position players on the outside and a talented running back in Jeanty and possibly Jones if he comes back.
You can argue that it's not the best allocation of resources, especially with the question marks at both cornerback and defensive line. However, taking talented players that will make a major impact on the team should be the priority.
The other argument here is that Jeanty won't be available when the Vikings select at the end of the first round. That would likely require a trade up to get him. Is that worth the allocation of assets? That is an entirely different discussion.
If Jeanty is within earshot of the Vikings come April, Adofo-Mensah should make the move.
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