The Pittsburgh Steelers need another running back—but do they need Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty? If they felt that they did, they would almost surely need to use their first-round pick on him. Many hold a diametric opposition to using a first-round pick on a running back. CBS draft analyst Ryan Wilson made the case for the Steelers considering it anyway.
“Even if there’s a wide receiver you like but you don’t love, are you gonna pass on an Ashton Jeanty? Because he’s the type of player in the same conversation for me”, Wilson said on 93.7 The Fan while discussing the Steelers.
During the 2024 season, Ashton Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards with 29 touchdowns. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, won by Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter. But the Steelers are on the cusp of jettisoning their own first-round running back from just four years ago.
How much should the Steelers consider the last four years of Najee Harris when considering Ashton Jeanty? They are, of course, very different players. We’ll learn more about his height, weight, and speed at the Combine, but his tape tells you enough.
“He’s a Bijan [Robinson], Jahmyr Gibbs-type player”, Wilson said of Jeanty, which the Steelers’ Harris simply is not. “Now, he’s not tall. He’s gonna be probably 5-6 and people are gonna be whining about that. But I don’t care. If you watch him play, and the electricity with which he plays, that would bring another element to the offense”.
Many have mused that the Steelers need a different type of back, for which Ashton Jeanty would qualify. And, of course, Jeanty would likely make a great addition for the Steelers—in a vacuum. The dilemma lies in the cost-benefit analysis, and even Wilson conceded the counterargument of the running back depth of the draft class.
But Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs—they’re pretty good. Robinson totaled 15 touchdowns last season and made the Pro Bowl as the eighth-overall pick in 2023. And by the way, current Steelers OC Arthur Smith drafted him, so would he want to draft Ashton Jeanty, too? Gibbs, the 12th-overall pick that year, totaled 20 touchdowns last season and placed eighth in Offensive Player of the Year voting.
“I feel like if he’s there [at] 21, he’s a top-eight talent. You have to do a lot of convincing me that he’s not worth it if some of the other guys you’re dying to get are off the board”. That’s how much Ryan Wilson likes Ashton Jeanty, making the case for the Steelers drafting him.
I don’t think it will go over very well with many Steelers fans, though, who believe defensive line or wide receiver must be the priorities. And Wilson admitted the running back class is much deeper than wide receiver. The defensive line class is as well, but that might be a spot where the Steelers want to double-dip.
