Ashton Jeanty just learned a tough Raiders lesson he'll deal with all year

Ashton Jeanty made his living on huge plays at Boise State. Every time he touched the ball, there was a chance he'd rip off a massive touchdown run. His numbers from last season are better than you remember them being. Even if you remember them being really good — seriously, go look them up. You'll still be shocked.

But it took just a few carries in Thursday's preseason opener for the Raiders to realize that Jeanty's rookie season won't be quite as smooth sailing. Jeanty had just 3 carries for -1 yard, and he was downed pretty much immediately on each of those carries.

Jeanty learned something important on Thursday; there's a chance the Raiders offensive line is pretty rough in 2025. Granted, this comes with a pretty big asterisk — the team rested two O-Line starters on Thursday, so this isn't the real line Jeanty will be running behind this year. But even when the full unit is out there, they won't be an elite unit. If they can be a league-average unit, that'll feel like a win for Jeanty and first-year head coach Pete Carroll.

If the line can hold, Jeanty should be massively productive in year one. If there are three defenders in the backfield the second Jeanty touches the ball every time like there was in the clip above, things might get a little tougher for the former Boise State Broncos superstar.

Ashton Jeanty might have to fight for his yards in rookie season

Last year's leading rusher for the Las Vegas Raiders was Alexander Mattison, who totaled 420 yards. That's it. He averaged 3.2 yards per carry, one of the worst marks among starting running backs in the league.

Now, Jeanty is of course a much, much more capable playmaker than Mattison ever has been (that's why he was a first-round draft pick), but it's still a daunting task joining a team that had nothing at all by way of a rushing attack the year prior. An improved line and a versatile talent in the backfield should make the Raiders at least functional running the football.