Will Ashton Jeanty unleash his dominance at the NFL level in his rookie season with the Las Vegas Raiders?
Coming off one of the more prolific college football seasons by a running back, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft will have all eyes on him to start his NFL career. A dynamic, bruising runner who can take it to the house whenever he touches the ball, Jeanty was the Boise State offense in 2024.
In manipulating defenders with his combination of speed and power, Jeanty demoralized opposing defenses in rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. In most of the games he played, he had over 100 yards rushing by half time. His overall performance not only garnered comparisons to the great Barry Sanders, Jeanty was also a runner up for the Heisman Trophy. Now the question is, can he unleash his fury on the NFL?
Ashton Jeanty predicted to do something unprecedented
As predicted by one NFL analyst, Jeanty will not only live up to expectations in Year 1, expect a historic type of performance that will have Raiders Nation ecstatic and teams in the AFC West as well as any team that faces the Raiders shivering.
In his way-too-early predictions, NFL.com columnist Jeffri Chadiha has Jeanty rushing for over 2,000 yards!
He writes:
“Jeanty should be a heavy favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year, given the situation he's walking into in Las Vegas. Head coach Pete Carroll is going to do what he always does -- which is run the football like crazy -- and Jeanty is a three-down back built exactly for this type of approach. So instead of simply predicting that Jeanty will win some hardware in his rookie season, it's worth going a step further and having him make history. Nine NFL players have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season, with Saquon Barkley joining the club in 2024. None of those men accomplished the feat in Year 1.”
While 2,000 yards in Year 1 is a lofty prediction, it’s not that unimaginable when you think of how much of a force Jeanty was in 2024. Chadiha makes an outstanding point about Carroll and how he does like to run the ball. With Brock Bowers as the leading receiver, the Raiders second-best playmaker may already be Jeanty. Turning back the clock to how Carroll leaned on Marshawn Lynch when he was the coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Jeanty does have that same capability as a running back with power who can also catch the ball out of the backfield.
Though Jeanty was known for his big rushing plays at Boise State, he did haul in 43 catches for over 500 yards in 2023 with the Broncos. That dual-threat ability should be further utilized in a Raiders’ offense that may have the best tight end, running back duo in the entire NFL when all is said and done in 2025.
So, while 2,000 yards rushing might be a wild feat for a rookie opposing NFL defenses will already be game-planning for, it’s not such a wild prediction for Jeanty to come close to 2,000 all-purpose yards if the Raiders behind Geno Smith do magnify his pass-catching skills as a way of keeping defenses off balanced.
If Chadiha’s prediction comes even close to hitting the mark, it’s going to be one great ride for Raiders fans.