A Letter to NFL GMs

Dear NFL GMs,

Most people, they watched the Eagles win the Super Bowl a couple of months ago, they watched Saquon 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.

If you’re wondering where I got this confidence from, I’d tell you it starts with my family. I grew up in a big, loving household — with my parents, my brother and my two sisters. Family … that’s everything to me. That’s my backbone.

My dad was in the military, so we had to move around a lot. When I was seven, we moved from Jacksonville to Chesapeake, and that’s where I really got into sports. First it was soccer, which of course I was a natural at. Then my uncle started coaching me up in basketball, so that became my new obsession.

Football came much more gradually. I’d always played it, but it was more about having fun, and just being in the backyard with my friends. I wasn’t playing organized ball or anything. Even when it wasn’t serious, though, I swear: No one could touch me. You’d have these older kids out there, all trying to bring me down, doing whatever they could. And I’d just be making them look silly.

Then in fifth grade, my best friend Mario got me to join this rec league team he was on called the Cardinals. I remember one of my first times touching the football in that league, I scored about a 60-yard touchdown. My family was sitting behind the end zone, and when I ran it in they were all going crazy. I’ll never forget that — I’d never felt anything like it before. And I just remember thinking two specific things in that moment. One, I’m going to be very successful at this. And two, I LOVE this.

Middle school is when I really started to take football seriously. I tried out for the team as a sixth grader, and I was the only one in my whole class to make it. But I didn’t play much, since we had a lot of good seventh and eighth graders. I remember we had this one eighth grader at running back, he was HUGE. Probably 5'11", 200 legit. But in my memory this kid was like Shaq. He was too big for middle school, bro. And I was like 5'5", 160 back then — so of course he was starting. Then seventh grade came, though, and I already knew what time it was. I rushed for about 200 yards and 4 or 5 touchdowns a game. We went undefeated.

But right when I felt like I was about to take over as a football player, my life completely shifted. My dad got stationed in Naples, Italy, so all of a sudden that’s where our family was moving. I had these mixed emotions. I was proud of my dad, because he’d basically gotten promoted and I knew how hard he’d worked for it. But at the same time, moving to another country at that age was tough to even fathom. And the toughest part of it is they didn’t have a middle school football team there. So it’s like I’d just started hitting my stride at running back — but now I had to change gears for a minute.

And if I’m telling you as NFL GMs why you should draft me, I actually think that time in my life where I couldn’t play football is a part of it. A lot of people, they might flourish when things are going according to plan. But then if they get thrown a curveball, they can’t adapt. Me, I feel like I’m the opposite. When I had to move across the world and pause football for a year, my attitude was, Well, alright — I can’t control that. So let’s take what I can control, and make the absolute best out of it.

I learned a lot about myself in that year. I soaked up the culture as much as I could: the food, the clothes, the music, even stuff like the style of communication. One thing I found interesting is how important hand gestures are in Italy — Italians will almost say more through their gestures than through their words. I also learned how I’m a people person. You come to a new place, and it’s like you have a choice to make: either open yourself up, or close yourself off. And I realized I’m someone who wants to open himself up. I’m good at it, too. You throw me in the deep end with people I’ve never met before? I’m swimming.

But I actually think the number one thing I learned while I was on pause with football — it’s how there’s nothing I want more than to be great at football. Eighth grade, no football season … I put in WORK. I trained harder than I ever had in my life. And then I went out the next season and I straight-up dominated. My freshman year, I was so cold.

Sophomore year, we left Italy and moved to Frisco, Texas — that’s where I spent the rest of high school. I transferred to a school in Frisco called Lone Star, and it was another big change. After killing it in Naples, all of a sudden I was on a squad loaded up with great players. Not just future D1 guys, but future NFL guys. People almost don’t believe this when they hear it … but I didn’t play running back again until my senior year. Especially after I’d already sat a whole season in Italy, then showed what I could do finally, it was pretty frustrating.

But I’ll tell you this: Ask about me. Go ask my coaches from Lone Star if I made any noise. I’m guessing they’ll all say the same thing. Ashton Jeanty? Nah. He just went out there and played football. That dude LOVES football. Sophomore year, I came in, they put me at outside linebacker, defensive end, safety and special teams. My attitude was, I’ll play anywhere. As long as it helps the team win. Junior year, they moved me to slot receiver — and if you’re doubting my pass-catching skills, I’d say go watch that tape. I was dangerous.

Finally, senior year … they put me at running back. And to be honest, that was like a crossroads moment. Because that’s the moment in my life where I gained that last big piece of confidence I needed. I think I’d always believed that once I got handed the keys at Lone Star, I’d be a great running back for them. But at the same time, until you’ve actually done it, there’s always going to be a voice in your head that’s your own skeptic. It’s like, Yeah, you did it in Europe. But this is TEXAS. Or it’s, You did it as a freshman, but that was two years ago. I had this moment where I felt these shreds of doubt.

Then they put the rock in my hand … and any doubts flew out the window.

Once I’m running that football, I swear: my instincts just take over. This special gear kicks in, and it’s like I’m 10 years old again and I’m making the older kids look silly. I turn into this unstoppable beast. I’d say the moment I knew I’d be that beast in Texas, it was our second game of the season against Aledo. Aledo is pretty much a dynasty. They’re loaded every year, and were coming off three state championships in a row. I went off on them for 239 total yards and 4 TDs … and we almost pulled out the upset too. (I’m still mad to this day that we didn’t. I hate losing.) Another big moment for me was toward the end of the season vs. Denton Ryan. They’re a program that’s famous for their defense — heading into our game, no one had topped 100 yards rushing against them all season. And if you know me, then you know I view a stat like that as a challenge. I hit them up for 231.

What’s crazy is, even though I was having this historic season, the blue-blood college programs still weren’t making me offers. I think part of that was just bad timing. Like, since so much recruiting is done early, by the time I was putting this film together as a senior, it was almost too late in the process. I hadn’t been playing running back as a sophomore or junior, so I wasn’t getting invited to all the camps, and I wasn’t getting on radars. 

It’s so funny though — one of the camps I did go to, I’ll never forget it. They had us doing one on one drills, where it’s you against a defender, mano a mano, and it’s just: can you beat your man or not. A drill like that, there’s no hiding. You’re really finding out who’s who. So we got in these two lines, offense or defense, and just kept cycling through. Then whoever came up in the other line when you came up, that’s who you’d face. And every time through, I’m telling you … I was straight cooking dudes. Everyone I lined up against, no exceptions, I cooked ’em. 

But then the wildest part is, I’m finding out afterwards: pretty much everyone I cooked? They’re some four-star or five-star who’s going to a blue-blood program. Actually, one of my victims — he was even the camp MVP. So it’s not like I didn’t know how I stacked up at that point … I just knew it was going to take longer for everyone else to discover it. 

But that’s what’s cool about my journey I think. Whether it’s being stuck on a depth chart behind the biggest tallest running back in eighth-grade history, or it’s Italians not messing with middle school football, or it’s too much talent coming out of North Texas, or it’s splitting college carries with a really good back like George Holani … I’ve had all these moments as a football player where I’ve felt like I’m ready to go. Ready to be GREAT. But then for one reason or another, I haven’t been able to get there immediately. So I’ve had to take the long way sometimes. And what I’ve learned about “the long way” is — it didn’t keep me from being great. It just made it so when I got there, I’d be even greater.

I’m there now.

I’ve gone from Jacksonville, to Chesapeake, to Naples, to Frisco, to Boise … all these places. I’ve played defensive end, safety, outside linebacker, special teams, slot receiver, lead running back, backup running back, backup everything. I’ve played street football, rec league football, road trip to a small town in Belgium football, 5A Texas high school football, college playoff football and no football. I’ve played with the older kids, with the military kids, with the European kids, with the zero-star kids, the five-star kids and everyone in between. I’ve played under those Friday Night Lights, and I’ve played on that Bronco Blue. My journey to the NFL, it’s definitely been different.

And I believe that’s exactly what it’s made me. Different.

I truly believe I was born to do this. And I truly believe what makes me different — it isn’t about the position I line up at. It’s about the mindset I bring to it.

Those 11 dudes on defense … they’re on a football field playing football.

Me — in my mind? I’m still in the backyard with my friends, playing “no one can touch me.”

I’ve taken the long way. I’m done with that way. If you pick me, it’s simple: I’m coming to your franchise to do what Saquon and the Eagles just did. I’m coming to win, big, soon.

It’s TACKLE football … you know what I’m saying?

I’d draft the guy they can’t tackle.

Thank you for your time,
Ashton Jeanty