Who will score more touchdowns for the Las Vegas Raiders in his rookie season – Ashston Jeanty or JJ Pegues?
That seems a silly question. Jeanty is an All-American running back who joined the Raiders as the sixth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Pegues is a sixth-round defensive tackle who might never touch the football.
“Me and Ashton were actually just talking about that,” Pegues said during an appearance on “Upon Further Review” on the NFL team’s official website. “He seen a couple highlights of me running the ball, so I said, ‘Man, look, I’ll block for you first. But look, we get to that goal line, I got to get in the end zone.’
“But no, it’s fun. You know, like I said, living every big guy’s dream. You know, high school, I played offense. Like that’s all I played -- receiver, quarterback, running back. Never played defense. Came to Auburn, played tight end my freshman year, and then my sophomore year, we got a new coach and I went to defense. And from then I’ve been playing offense and defense.”
As a freshman at Auburn in 2020, Pegues had seven receptions for 57 yards and five rushing attempts for 14 yards. But in 2021, he didn’t have a catch or a carry as he moved to defensive tackle for the Tigers.
A transfer to Ole Miss in 2022 returned Pegues to two-way duty as a short-yardage specialist, and in 2024, the 309-pounder had 21 rushing attempts for 69 yards and seven touchdowns to go with 42 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
“It was just like normal for me,” Pegues said. “Like I know people was like telling me, ‘Oh, you’re going to play defense, you’re going to play defense in college, this and that.’ And in my head, I’m like, ‘I’m an athlete. Like I know I’m just big, but, like, that’s their fault they can’t tackle me, you know?’ …
“But I wasn’t blind to the fact that I knew at one point I was going to make the transition. It was just when did I want to make it, you know? And at that point, Auburn didn’t have enough D-linemen on the roster, so it was me just being selfless and just going to do something that a team needed, our team needed at the time. And that’s when (Ole Miss coach Lane) Kiffin came calling. It was like, ‘Hey, man, you want to do both sides?’ And I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’”
From 2001 through 2006, Kiffin served on the Southern Cal coaching staff of the Raiders’ Pete Carroll.
“Kiffin was with Pete Carroll a little bit,” Pegues said, “so all of his things about winning and just being locked in and stuff like that and competing, I’m kind of used to it. I heard it before. And the practice style is a little bit like Kiffin as well, so I can see where Kiffin gets his coaching from.
“But it’s really just being a pro. I know all the coaches in college always say at the next level, it’s more about being a pro. You’re not going to be in pads a lot or anything like that, so the walkthroughs are important, watching film. …
“Kiffin had a basketball goal in our team meeting room at Ole Miss, and Pete got one as well. So just those small things is definitely something good to be able to see and know that: OK, I am far away, but things don’t really change as much. You know, football is football. And again, like I say, you just got to be a pro.”
For Pegues, that starts with finding his footing in a defensive-line depth chart headed by Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby.
“Maxx and Christian Wilkins, Adam Butler, I always just tell myself, like, I played video games with these guys and stuff like that,” Pegues said. “Like, I see them on TV a lot on Sundays. But no, it’s definitely different, but it holds yourself to a higher standard and they hold you to a higher standard, too. They want to win. They want to see you win, so I feel like, at the end of the day, once you get a team and a group like that that wants to see everybody win and not just money-chasing or trying to get this position -- like ultimately the goal you want is a championship, and I feel like that’s a team that’ll do it.”
The Raiders haven’t been near a championship for decades. Since a 48-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII on Jan. 26, 2003, the franchise’s postseason record is 0-2. Las Vegas had a 4-13 record last season.
On their summer break, the Raiders open training camp when the rookies report on July 17 and the veterans come in on July 22. Las Vegas starts its three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 7 against the Seattle Seahawks and kicks off its regular-season slate on Sept. 7 against the New England Patriots.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.