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Within a few weeks with the Las Vegas Raiders, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty is already receiving high praise.
The Las Vegas Raiders entered the offseason with one of the league’s most pressing needs: reviving the NFL’s worst rushing attack in 2024. With the sixth overall pick in April’s draft, they made a bold statement, selecting Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up who shattered records with 2,601 rushing yards (second most in a season in FBS history). Just a few weeks in his NFL journey, the Raiders’ coaching staff praised Jeanty for being “coachable,” and teammates have already suggested that he will be a star in Year 1.
Ashton Jeanty Turning Heads Early in Raiders Camp
Head coach Pete Carroll, in his first offseason with the Raiders, didn’t hold back in his praise for the rookie following the final day of mandatory minicamp.
“He caught the ball well, understood stuff, took everything seriously [and] gave terrific effort throughout,” Carroll said. “We made a big deal of him — ‘Everybody’s watching you’ — and he embraced the thought of it. And so, it’s going to be exciting to see what happens.”
It’s one thing to enter the league with hype, but it’s another to live up to it right away. So far, Jeanty has impressed by acclimating quickly to offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense. His ability to process complex concepts and execute his assignments has allowed him to take the most of the first-team reps among the running backs. That’s no small feat for a 21-year-old fresh out of college, especially on a roster with veterans like Raheem Mostert, who called Jeanty a “generational talent.”
“The biggest thing that impressed me the most was that he was able to break and take it another 60 yards,” Mostert said. “That’s something that’s not necessarily going on out there in the world right now. Just today, he caught a couple of balls and you’re like, ‘Man, he’s going to be special.'”
Ashton Jeanty’s involvement in the passing game will be something to watch
He did it a bit at Boise (more in 2023 than last year) but wasn’t crazy involved
#Raiders
A Generational Talent With a Versatile Skillset
GettyLas Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator Chip Kelly believes Ashton Jeanty can do it all.
If there’s one thing clear from the early stages of Jeanty’s career, it’s that the Raiders may have landed a special kind of talent, one that doesn’t come often.
Kelly believes that Jeanty’s flexibility makes him a matchup nightmare. “He’s such a coachable guy that you can do a lot of things with him,” Kelly said. “I think he can play in the slot [and] in the backfield.”
It’s no surprise, then, that even the defense has taken notice. Linebacker Devin White has mentored Jeanty throughout the offseason, offering tips on how to beat coverage and recognize defensive cues. While White joked that Jeanty has yet to catch a pass on him this offseason, it’s clear the veteran sees the rookie as someone worth investing time in.
“But he can tell you he had no catches on me, none this offseason, so that just tells you who’s up, and he better be ready for training camp,” White said.
For now, Jeanty has checked every box a team could ask for. From catching passes to showing elite vision and embracing all that’s being thrown at him, it should excite fans.
