Wildest NFL Mock Draft of the season has Ashton Jeanty falling to Eagles

As someone who has in the past produced full-round NFL Mock Drafts for national outlets, I understand there's a business element to them. You want to inform the reader, but you also want to entertain. And if you're doing one every week, you have to shake things up to differentiate them. 

With all that acknowledged, sometimes in the quest to be different, you can go a little too far. 

A recent example of this dynamic is a mock from Mason Johnstone of The Draft Network. This is an outlet I've learned a lot reading, and I don't know Mason or mean to in any way question his player evaluation credentials. 

But with the final pick in the first round, this mock has the Eagles taking Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty: 

"The Eagles just committed record-setting money to Saquon Barkley with an extension through 2028, but they still strike gold with the last pick of the first round. Ashton Jeanty provides the perfect complement, taking a significant load off Barkley to keep him healthy and effective throughout his time in Philadelphia. For Jeanty, this role allows him to remain the bruising, productive back he is while preserving his legs and setting the stage for a post-Saquon era. Adding him to the mix only adds more juice to the best run game in the world." 

Perhaps there's an interesting sports radio discussion to be had here about what the Eagles should do if Jeanty falls into their laps. The guess here is if that were to happen, the Eagles would probably move out of the first round and trade with a team that wants to get the fifth-year option on Jeanty's rookie contract. 

It just feels extremely unlikely that after a year where Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs reminded the world of how much of an impact adding a star running back can have that Jeanty would fall this far. 

Jeanty is coming off of season where he rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. He finished runner-up to Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter in Heisman Trophy voting. In most years, Jeanty would have taken home the Heisman. 

To be fair to Johnstone, his colleague at The Draft Network, Damian Parson, has evaluated Jeanty as a Day 2 pick that will be a "winning starter." That makes him being around when the Eagles are on the clock not a far-fetched idea. 

But Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Media has Jeanty ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the entire class. Pro Football Focus has Jeanty as the fifth-best player in the 2025 class. ESPN also has Jeanty as No. 5 on their big board. 

Even if Jeanty isn't the level of prospect that Barkley was when the New York Giants selected him No. 2 overall in 2018, he figures to be gone well before the Eagles. 

The Chicago Bears (No. 10), Dallas Cowboys (No. 12), Denver Broncos (No. 20), Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21), Los Angeles Chargers (No. 22) and Minnesota Vikings (No. 24) are all teams who make sense as possible landing spots for Jeanty. And if Jeanty falls within five picks of the Eagles, don't be surprised if another team jumps in just to prevent the possibility of a Barkley/Jeanty backfield.