Stephen A. Smith blasts Jerry Jones for potentially blowing the chance to draft Ashton Jeanty

There’s every chance that the Dallas Cowboys will miss out on Ashton Jeanty, as they don’t pick before 12. That’s not going to stop Cowboys owner Jerry Jones from trying to recruit one of the best running back prospects in recent years. Even if he has to use unconventional methods.

Jeanty recently appeared on The Up & Adams show to talk about his experience meeting Jones for the first time. The Boise State running back went for a pre-draft visit on April 4 to the Cowboys’ facility.

The young rusher was in for a big surprise. He stopped in his tracks shortly after entering Jones’ office.

When I came in [to] the room, he was holding this, like, [a] championship belt and just looking at it. And I was like, where’s this gonna go? It was from a, I guess, a boxing championship that they had at the stadium some years ago… I don’t know. Maybe he thinks I could be a champ or something.

Ashton Jeanty told Kay Adams

Stephen A. Smith watched the conversation on Thursday’s First Take. The veteran contributor had to take a moment to take everything in before he spoke. Following the brief pause, Smith went all out against his ‘friend,’ Jerry Jones.

Smith criticized Jones’ method.

Mr. Jerry Jones, my buddy and the football owner [of the Dallas Cowboys] is with the football player, who happens to be a running back, and you had Rico Dowdle that you couldn’t keep—he leaves for a one-year $6 million offer. You got Javonte Williams from [the Denver Broncos]—that you gave them, got him in Dallas for half the price. And your pitch, your encouragement, is to show this man [Ashton Jeanty] a championship boxing belt?

Stephen A. Smith said

It does raise questions about whether Jones is serious enough to draft a running back with the first pick.

Jeanty is projected to be the first RB off the board. The Las Vegas Raiders are the favorites to select the Heisman Trophy runner-up at 6.

Former Cowboys WR wants Jerry Jones to draft Ashton Jeanty

Jeanty grew up and lives with his parents in Dallas. He has expressed several times that he would love to play for the hometown club.

Cowboys great and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin urged Jones to draft Jeanty instead of a wide receiver like Texas’ Matthew Golden.

If both are on the board, I gotta go Jeanty [over Matthew Golden], because now I’m coming back to what I know, what, and we all fall back on what we know best, and what I know best is that triplet formation winning game.

Michael Irvin said on Up & Adams

Irvin, who was one part of the trio with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, recounted the time when the running back joined the Cowboys.

When Emmitt came, the difference he made. We had the same offensive line prior to him getting here, but when he got here, all of a sudden, they became the best offensive line ever. That’s because Emmitt was the best running back ever.

Michael Irvin said

Irvin claimed Jeanty has all the tools to have an impact similar to Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.

Look at what Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry did for those squads that they played on this year [2024-25]. [If] you get a chance to [draft] Jeanty and get and have that kind of production that he’s had. Yeah, you take him.

Michael Irvin concluded

Dallas Cowboys should draft Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty or Texas WR Matthew Golden?

Michael Irvin picks Jeanty, noting how RBs help teams win games, just look at Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry.@heykayadams | @michaelirvin88 pic.twitter.com/21jJoKPf1J

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 24, 2025

Jeanty echoed Irvin’s words and believes he can be the next Barkley.

Most people—they watched the [Philadelphia] Eagles win the Super Bowl a couple of months ago, they watched Saquon [Barkley] run through everyone in the playoffs, and they thought to themselves, This is amazing. I watched it and I thought something different. I thought—that can be me.

Ashton Jeanty told Sterling Holmes on FanSided’s Stacking the Box

Ashton Jeanty had a season for the history books during his final season at Boise State. He rushed 374 times for 2601 yards and scored 29 rushing touchdowns.

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