The pride of Lone Star, Texas, came back through town on Tuesday, a camera crew in tow to chronicle his visit to old stomping grounds as the football world anxiously tracks Ashton Jeanty’s next move.
For an hour or two, Jeanty sat with his former Lone Star High coach Jeff Rayburn in his office, as basketball coach Keith Connor, principal Keith Tolleson and a gaggle of assistants intermittently popped their heads in. They reminisced about the Jeanty they knew, long before he set the world on fire at Boise State. This was the kid they lined up everywhere. The receiver who burned a safety on a stutter-step go ball in a junior-year playoff game. The safety who blew up a ball-carrier so badly in a sophomore-year scrimmage that oooohs echoed across Lone Star’s sideline.
Eventually, the conversation turned to last week’s NFL combine. Rayburn and company asked Jeanty what teams he was hearing from. One club stood out, among a couple of others.
“He said the Broncos,” Rayburn reflected, “spent a lot of time talking to him at the combine.”
Indeed, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told The Denver Post that the 2024 Heisman runner-up had a “positive” meeting with the Broncos at the combine, and that he “connected” with Denver running back coach Lou Ayeni. One source told the Post “we’d all love it” if Jeanty wound up in Denver, citing the Broncos’ status as a winning franchise.
The Broncos, however, currently sit at No. 20 in the first round of April’s NFL draft. That’s far behind the Las Vegas Raiders, who hold the sixth overall pick and also spent a “ton of time” with Jeanty at the combine, Rayburn referenced. It’s also far behind the Dallas Cowboys, who hold pick No. 12 and are hosting Jeanty on a visit, according to Rayburn.
“If they want to draft him,” one source said of the Broncos, “I think it’d have to be before 12.”
To put it simply: Denver needs a running back, after an uninspiring by-committee ground attack in 2024. They know it. You know it. The football world knows it. And for head coach Sean Payton’s coveted “Joker” weapon, there’s no better fit in this RB class than Jeanty, who a slew of draft evaluators project as a dynamic fit in Payton’s versatile offense.
But this 2025 class presents a particularly deep crop of backs, and teams can find high-end starters throughout the early rounds, NFL Network draft analyst Bucky Brooks said. So therein lies the conundrum for Payton and general manager George Paton: Sell the farm for Jeanty, or target another back in later rounds?
“Do I think Sean would do that?” NFL Network draft analyst Charles Davis pondered aloud when asked about the Broncos possibly trading up for Jeanty. “He and George Paton, I think the word is ‘Absolutely.’”
Payton, indeed, has been aggressive in acquiring offensive weapons in the past. Look no further than 2024, when the Broncos sent three later picks to the Seattle Seahawks to move up and take receiver Troy Franklin at the top of the fourth round. And as Payton targets his “Joker,” the 215-pound Jeanty brings plenty more versatility than a 374-carry 2024 season would seem to present: He caught 43 balls for Boise State in 2023 and played a year of slot receiver at Lone Star.
“As you’re talking about the Broncos looking to do a lot of different things, that’s who he is,” Rayburn told The Post, saying he lined up Jeanty everywhere from the backfield to outside receiver at Lone Star. “He is kind of that Swiss Army Knife that can do everything.”
But if Denver’s grade for Jeanty isn’t significantly higher than the rest of the backs in this class, there’s plenty of options for Payton and Paton come April. North Carolina back Omarion Hampton could still be sitting on the board at No. 20. Hampton is a powerful downhill runner who racked up 1,660 yards in 2024 and also flashed pass-catching ability out of the backfield.
“If Payton wants an Alvin Kamara type, then maybe Ashton Jeanty is more his speed,” Brooks said, referencing Payton’s former standout back with the New Orleans Saints. “But he’s also done it with the Mark Ingram type, which would fit what Hampton does.”
Some other mid-round RB targets for Denver:
Kaleb Johnson, Iowa: The consensus No. 3 back in the draft. A 6-foot-1, 224-pound patient tank who ran for 1,537 yards at Iowa last year.
Tre’Veyon Henderson, Ohio State: Ran a 4.43-second 40-yard-dash and 1.52-second 10-yard split and had a 38.5-inch vertical at NFL combine. Has plenty of experience in a backfield timeshare after splitting carries with fellow prospect and potential target Quinshon Judkins at Ohio State. A source told The Post Payton was present for a Broncos combine meeting with Henderson.
Dylan Sampson, Tennessee: A 5-foot-8, 200-pound crafty back who set Tennessee records for rushing yards (1,491) and TDs (22) last year and whom draft analyst Jordan Reid told media on a Wednesday conference call he thought the Broncos would “like a lot.”
The Broncos, too, could easily opt to swing big on a free-agent back like Aaron Jones next week and save their first-round pick for a tight end or defensive lineman. But if Jeanty’s their man, they’ll likely have to take a massive leap.
“I would hope I don’t fall that far,” Jeanty smiled at his combine presser when asked about the Broncos.
“But, you know, if that happens, I would have no problem playing for the Denver Broncos.”
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