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Boise State star and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty is heading to the Las Vegas Raiders, as he becomes the first running back off the draft board as expected.
While the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars were recent potential destinations for Jeanty entering Thursday night, it was always the Raiders who he was connected with.
A team that struggled in the run game tremendously last season, finishing last in the league in terms of production.
Jeanty figures to jump right into Pete Carroll’s offense and get to work with new Raiders quarterback Geno Smith handing the ball off to him.
Las Vegas continues to build their offense, which also features star Brock Bowers, who had quite the rookie campaign in 2024 after the Raiders took him in the first round.
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Running backs have usually been devalued on the first day of the Draft, but Jeanty quickly cemented himself as a top 10 selection after what he was able to showcase for the Broncos.
The perfect balance of power and speed, Jeanty, at 5-foot-9, 211 pounds is the home-run-hitting back that teams dream about – think Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry finding a seam and exploiting it for a long touchdown.
Jeanty did that a few times per game last season, racking up 29 rushing touchdowns to finish second in the FBS in that category. He also led the country with 7.0 yards averaged per carry, and he led the NCAA with 2,750 all-purpose yards.
While his explosive speed and cutting ability can make defenders miss, he is also extremely hard to take to the ground, bouncing off tackles and fighting for more than just a couple extra yards after contact.
It’s why linebackers have to cheat to the outside because, more times than not, defensive backs were unable to get Jeanty on the ground even if they had good tackling form.
Jeanty tallied a run of at least 50 yards or more in nine of his 14 games last season, and if it wasn’t for Colorado’s Travis Hunter, who went to the Cleveland Browns second overall in this Draft, Jeanty would likely have ran away with the Heisman.
Of course, the pros will provide bigger players and bigger challenges for Jeanty, but many peg him to be a future All-Pro and the Raiders certainly hope that’s the case with them.
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