Ashton Jeanty
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Ashton Jeanty is growing as a running back, which inspired quarterback Geno Smith.
When the Las Vegas Raiders decided to invest the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, the organization sent a clear message across the league that the organization wants to run the football in 2025.
Now that Jeanty is positioned to be the feature back of an NFL team, the Raiders RB has become one of the most intriguing players before he has even taken a single snap in the National Football League.
Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty Named One of NFL’s Most Intriguing Players Ahead of 2025 NFL Season
Mike Jones of The Athletic sees a potential star in the making with Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty entering his rookie year. This prompted the NFL writer to name the Boise State product as one of the most intriguing players in the league in 2025.
Jones wrote, “The Raiders have long needed a game-changer on offense, and they just might have found one in Jeanty, who last season led college football with 2,601 rushing yards and 374 carries (averaging 7.0 yards per carry while scoring 29 touchdowns).”
When a college running back carries the company of legends like Barry Sanders because of his elite production, then it becomes very easy to become enamoured with what he is going to do at the next level.
The Raiders’ rushing attack was pedestrian in 2024, and that is a very kind way to describe it. Alexander Marrison led the team in rushing with 420 yards. Ameer Abdullah chipped in with 311 rushing yards and two scores. Lastly, Sincere McCormick and Zamir White both finished 183 rushing yards in 2024. In other words, the rushing production from the running back position has nowhere to go but up.
Could Ashton Jeanty Enter the ‘Best Running Back in the League’ Conversation as a Rookie?
There isn’t a shortage of running backs who have a reasonable case for the title of best running back in the league entering 2025. Names like Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, Derrick Henry, and Christian McCaffrey all can make compelling case for the crown entering this season. Yet, Ashton Jeanty feels like the type of dynamic talent who could enter that conversation in short order with a breakout rookie year.
Pat Fitzmaurice of FantasyPros didn’t hesitate to mention other running backs who had excellent rookie years when trying to determine what type of impact the Boise State product can have in 2025.
“”League winner” has never been my favorite term,” wrote Fitzmaurice. “It typically takes outsized contributions from multiple players to break down the door and grab the trophy. But … Ashton Jeanty is a pretty good candidate for an outsized contribution in his rookie year. He’s a phenomenal prospect who checks nearly every box on the list of qualifications for star RBs. When a running back has gone top 12 in recent NFL drafts, the results have been pretty good. The six RBs drafted top 12 in the last 10 years: Ezekiel Elliott, Christian McCaffrey, Leonard Fournette, Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. That’s pretty good company.”
Jeanty is a special talent who should have an immediate path to elite usage from the start of his NFL career.
The only thing that could prevent Jeanty from having a breakout rookie are the pieces around him. The Raiders’ offensive line is good, but not great. The receivers are mostly young and unproven, which could see defenses stacking the box in an attempt to limit Jeanty’s impact on the football game.
Yet, Jeanty is such a dynamic talent that you feel foolish for betting against him. If the Raiders’ offense ends up being better than expected, it will be because Jeanty is truly that special of a football player.