2025 NFL Draft Mailbag: An Ashton Jeanty comparison, the biggest boom or bust prospects, and a stellar running back class
It is officially 2025 NFL Draft season. The All-Star circuit is already behind us, meaning the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine and pro day circuit are a couple of the remaining events to keep a close eye on before we get to April. To continue combing through the entirety of the draft class, there’s nothing better […]
It is officially 2025 NFL Draft season. The All-Star circuit is already behind us, meaning the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine and pro day circuit are a couple of the remaining events to keep a close eye on before we get to April. To continue combing through the entirety of the draft class, there’s nothing better than a little mailbag.
The readers submitted some fantastic questions this week, including several about Ashton Jeanty and the rest of the running back class, rebuilding the Chicago Bears, and the boom or bust prospects in 2025. Let’s get to all the tremendous questions, and get to know this class on a deeper level.
Defensive tackle risers
I could buy some Round Two upside for Darius Alexander (Toledo) to some degree. There was some top 100 hype on him going into the week, and he really impressed. The movement skills and alignment versatility for a 310-pounder was impressive.
Joshua Farmer (Florida State) is a solid player, but his lack of explosiveness will limit him to being selected somewhere on Day Three. There is just nothing that stands out at a major level with Farmer. He’s probably limited to a role as a rotational player at most, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
LeQuint Allen in the 2025 RB class
I think Allen does everything pretty well, but doesn’t have a standout trait. It doesn’t mean he can’t stick on the next level but in such a deep running back class, having a unique trait could go a long way in this group to finding a sticking point. Allen is just a pretty ordinary athlete, who I think will be a late Day Three selection at best, but also wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up going undrafted.
Comp for Ashton Jeanty
Ashton Jeanty is such a tough player to find a comparison for, mostly because he is a very unique all around player. He has the game of a power back, but is also exceptional on passing downs, having a lot of talent as a receiver and pass blocker. Those two worlds rarely ever merge.
Just as a pure runner, Jeanty does give me some shades of former Alabama and New Orleans Saints star Mark Ingram. Like Jeanty, Ingram ran with a low center of gravity, outstanding contact balance, and effort. Jeanty’s impact as a pass receiver takes him to a whole other level. That combination is what makes him so special.
Revamping the trenches for the Bears
One player that I’ve been consistently mocking to the Bears recently is Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons. Before Simmons suffered an injury in the middle of the season, he was trending upward in this class. Bears left tackle Braxton Jones is solid, but left tackle can clearly be upgraded.
If it’s defensive end, James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee) and Nic Scourton (Texas A&M) could make some sense. Pearce is a twitched up slender pass rusher, while Scourton is a powerful dude. It really depends what the Bears are looking for opposite of Montez Sweat ultimately.
Bears trade back options
I’d be willing to drop back to about pick 20. I think there’s a sweet spot from about 10-20, where the talent is pretty closely packed together. I wouldn’t want to move much lower than that just because the Bears do still have some clear needs, and you don’t want the board to dry up too much.
Making a strength more of a strength
I’m a big fan of making a strength a bigger strength, as long as you are drafting the best player available. Not forcing a need just to fill a need is one of my biggest ideologies from a roster building perspective. At the end of the day, it comes down to one simple thing, draft good football players.
Boom or bust prospects
Funny you ask, I actually wrote about the boom or bust prospects in the 2025 class last week. Check that out HERE.
RB class demand
It’s a tremendous running back class in 2025, but it’s mostly because of the insane depth that this group brings. I expect Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) to be the only runner selected in the first round. In the second round, I’d guess we see two to three more, with names to know including Kaleb Johnson (Iowa), Omarion Hampton (UNC), and TreyVeon Henderson (Ohio State) among a couple of others. The third round is where I’d expect to see the most running backs selected and could see as many as four to five taken, including Kansas State star DJ Giddens (Kansas State), Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State), RJ Harvey (UCF), and Cameron Skateboo (Arizona State) as a few names to watch. That brings the total between seven to nine running backs in the first three rounds.
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