"How high does Ashton Jeanty end up going?" - Louis Riddick puts Saquon Barkley's $41,200,000 historic contract in perspective

On Wednesday, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick reacted to the topic concerning running back draft value. His remarks followed Saquon Barkley's record-breaking contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Barkley's two-year contract extension worth $41.2 million has re-set the running back market. At $20.6 million annually, the agreement is the highest average yearly salary of a running back in NFL history.

During Wednesday's segment on "First Take," Riddick shared his thoughts:

"I love it because of what it's going to do for other running backs, and I love it," Riddick said. "What it does as far as kind of advancing the conversation about running backs and what their value really is to football. Yeah. And I think what this really is, what this conversation is in terms of, like the whole running back discussion is, this is an emphasis on, or rather the emphasis that the NFL puts on explosive plays.

"That's really what teams are after … When we get to the draft, and you start thinking about, where does Ashton Jeanty actually winds up going? How high does he actually end up going?"

Jeanty's background is impressive. As a Boise State star, he won the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards after racking up 4,769 rushing yards and 56 total touchdowns in three seasons playing college football. His 2024 Heisman runner-up credential further boosts his draft value.

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Ashton Jeanty's draft possibilities

NCAA Football: Fiesta Bowl-Penn State at Boise State (Credits: IMAGN)

DraftKings Sportsbook has the Dallas Cowboys favored to draft Ashton Jeanty at +260 odds. The Cowboys are in dire need of backfield assistance after accumulating only 1,705 rushing yards last year and only managing three runs of 20 yards.

Other possible destinations include the Raiders (+320), Bears (+320), Broncos (+700), and Steelers (+1200). Sports Illustrated's mock draft has Ashton Jeanty being drafted as high as sixth overall to the Raiders.

Ashton Jeanty's draft stock got a boost following dominant Combine interviews. He particularly had a meeting with the Bears' running backs coach, Eric Bieniemy.

The Bears offer an interesting option. With new head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams, Jeanty would be a changing-of-the-guard addition. Chicago requires offensive firepower following Williams being sacked a league-high 68 times during the previous season.