Steelers Coach Was at Boise State Pro Day to Watch Star RB
Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach Eddie Faulkner was at the Boise State pro day to watch star running back Ashton Jeanty. Faulkner even put Jeanty through workout drills during the pro day.
The All-American running back is projected to be a first round pick in the NFL Draft. Many analyst expect Jeanty to be a top-10 pick, so he’ll be long gone before the Steelers pick at No. 21. All 32 teams were in attendance at his pro day.
Jeanty is viewed as one of the cleanest prospects in the draft this year on and off the field, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
“Feedback from scouts is Jeanty is definitely one of the ‘cleanest’ prospects, on and off field.’ High character, coupled with the obvious talent,” Fowler said.
The Steelers are in need of a running back after losing Najee Harris in free agency. Jaydon Blue of Texas, DJ Giddens of Kansas State, Dylan Sampson of Tennessee and Bhayshul Tuten of Virginia Tech all have or are expected to come to Pittsburgh on a pre-draft visit.
Jeanty had a historic 2024 season at Boise State as he rushed for the second-most yards (2,601) and seventh-most touchdowns (29) in college football history.
Following his junior season, he won the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to Colorado’s Travis Hunter.
The Steelers could use a dynamic running back. Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky pointed out that over the last six seasons, the Steelers are the worst running football team in the NFL, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. The Steelers just lacked explosiveness with Najee Harris as their running back. His longest career run during his tenure with the Steelers was only 37 yards.
“Learn how to run the football better. First, let me be very clear. Pittsburgh, respectfully, worst running football team in the NFL, 3.9 yards per carry. You have lost your identity as an organization,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s Get Up. “I don’t care who the quarterback is. Until you fix that, it won’t matter.”
The Steelers placed a second-round tender on Jaylen Warren and signed Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell to a free agent contract. As of right now, their running back depth chart includes Warren, Gainwell and Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson could potentially be a salary cap casualty this offseason, however.