As you might have heard by now, the 2025 NFL Draft class is filled with talented runners. But as you also have surely heard, one of them stands out from the rest.
The Dallas Cowboys, who desperately need at least one running back this offseason, could very well face a conundrum when they get on the clock at pick No. 12. They could have the opportunity to pick Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty, or fill one of their other many positional needs by selecting the best player available and hope they can get their hands on another talented such as North Carolina's Omarion Hampton, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson, among others later in the draft.
NFL Draft analyst for The Athletic Dane Brugler joined 105.3 The Fan on Thursday and was asked if the Cowboys selecting Jeanty would be the right use of the pick if he were on the board when it's Dallas's turn to make a selection.
"It's certainly debatable. The answer to that question does not have a right or wrong answer. There are plenty of reasons why you can make the case that Ashton Jeanty should be the pick. And there are some ways you can look at it from a different perspective and say, "We're better suited building up the roster at some of these other spots. And because this is a deep running back class, let's wait till the second, third, fourth round, and we still feel comfortable with the guy we're going to get,'" Brugler said on the GBag Nation.
However, Brugler made it clear that the Cowboys and the fans would be very satisfied if the the former Frisco Lone Star HS alum ends up wearing a star on his helmet again.
"You're not going to feel regret drafting a talent like Ashton Jeanty at No. 12. He's so talented running the ball, catching the ball, blocking. He can do everything."
And not only is Jeanty a star on the field but he is one off the field as well, Brugler says.
"Above all, [his] character is off-the-charts. This is a guy, you talk to his college and high school coaches - he had all types of offers this past offseason to go play for a team in the SEC and the Big Ten - we're talking upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars that he turned down in order to go back to Boise State because that's the program that believed in him coming out of Lone Star High School," said Brugler. "There are a lot of reasons why you can look at Ashton Jeanty and say, "This is the guy we want in our building, want on our roster, the way he can impact everybody around us.' So, I certainly think it's something the Cowboys will be talking about extensively when they build their board."
Brugler also discussed other potential players Dallas could select at pick No. 12, other potential backs who could be available for them to select in the second or third round, and much more.