While it had previously fallen out of fashion to take running backs early in the draft, the Las Vegas Raiders weren’t met with much criticism when they took Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in 2025. That’s because he rushed for 2,601 during his junior year at Boise State.
Though he was an unstoppable force in college, he quickly realized that things wouldn’t be as easy at the NFL level. He only averaged 3.7 yards per carry as a rookie. A big reason for that was the lackluster coaching and terrible offensive line play for the Raiders.
With the addition of center Tyler Linderbaum and head coach Klint Kubiak, expectations are very high for Jeanty heading into Year 2. However, ESPN’s Benjamin Solak isn’t buying the hype. He’s a Jeanty fan, but still doesn’t believe the Raiders have done enough to set him up for a huge season.
“But can we say confidently that the Raiders’ offense has improved enough that a Jeanty explosion is in the cards? Not quite,” Solak wrote. “The bullish case for the offensive line is that at least one, and maybe two Day 2 picks win starting jobs — but even then, they’re playing beside imperfect incumbents in Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson. The Raiders’ offensive line could take a huge Year 1 leap, but a modest step that anticipates another improvement in 2027 is more likely.”
Jeanty Could Still Have a Solid Season
Now, Solak isn’t necessarily saying that Jeanty is going to be as lackluster as his rookie season. He does believe the young running back will be productive, but he’s just not going to be on the level of the other elite running backs in the NFL.
“I’m excited for Jeanty’s Year 2. I think the offense and the line will be better (would be tough to be worse!), and as such, I expect a much more productive season on a down-to-down basis,” Solak wrote. “But I don’t think a special season similar to the ones we’ve seen from recent early-drafted backs (Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs) is in the cards for Jeanty just yet.”
Raiders Need Jeanty to Be a Star Eventually
The Raiders will be fine if Jeanty is just solid in 2026. The team likely isn’t competing for a playoff spot, so this year is all about taking a step in the right direction.
However, they really need Jeanty to eventually develop into one of the best running backs in the NFL. Using a top-10 pick on a running back is risky, and the Raiders passed up some good prospects to select him.
Jeanty can’t just be a solid running back long-term; he needs to be a star if he’s going to be worthy of his pre-draft hype. Luckily, there were signs of that elite playmaking ability during his rookie season. He’s really difficult to tackle and has great speed. If the Raiders’ offense is better set up this season, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be a serious impact player. As the offensive line gets better, he should only see his stats improve.
Raiders Hit With Harsh Reality on Ashton Jeanty