Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty stacks up reasonably well against the other top ball-carriers drafted by NFL teams over the last decade in the eyes of ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.

Kiper ranked Jeanty sixth, ahead of Jahmyr Gibbs, Josh Jacobs, Travis Etienne Jr. and Todd Gurley II, among others.

"At 5'9" and 215 pounds, Jeanty displays excellent contact balance, instincts and toughness, which help him skirt past the first line of defense and through traffic, Kiper wrote. "He has forced a nation-leading 111 missed tackles. Jeanty brings power going downhill, stays upright and runs through contact. He plays with determination, and arm tackle attempts aren't able to slow him down. And don't sleep on his receiving skills. Jeanty has sure hands out of the backfield and can be a true all-purpose back in the NFL."

Kiper went on to say Jeanty could come off the board as early as picks 10 through 15.

He cited the Dallas Cowboys as a possible fit since they seemingly lack a true game-changing running back. Rico Dowdle has run for 519 yards and one touchdown while averaging 5.1 yards per carry over Dallas' last five games, but the jury is still out on him as a No. 1 option.

Kiper also threw the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers into the mix for Jeanty. He went to the Vikings at No. 28 in Bleacher Report's last mock draft from November.

Anybody who has watched the NFL over the past few years is well aware of how much running backs have been devalued across the league, and that trend is often reflected in the draft. Five players at the position have been selected in the first round over the past five years.

Saquon Barkley's monster 2024 season with the Philadelphia Eagles is making a strong case for the pendulum to shift a little bit, though. Running backs may not influence games as much as quarterbacks, but a good one can go a long way for a contending team.

And Jeanty's production at Boise State speaks for itself. The Heisman Trophy runner-up has 2,497 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns through 13 games this year.

As Kiper pointed out, the Broncos may not have had the toughest schedule in college football, but Jeanty had to contend with the fact everyone knew he was the focal point of the offense. Despite that, he's still having a near-historic season.

Few would bat an eye if a team grabbed Jeanty on Day 1 of the 2025 draft.