Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Drops Strong Message About Role

When the Las Vegas Raiders selected Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, it was expected they were getting a star. Many expected him to be a star right off the bat to begin his career.

Those expectations were a bit unreasonable. Every young player can take some time to adjust to the professional game.

So far through his first two games, Jeanty has been no different. He has gotten off to a slow start this year for the Raiders.

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Despite the slow start, Jeanty remains confident. Las Vegas has utilized him actively, although Pete Carroll hasn’t been using him as a workhorse. He still has a lot of work to do to become that kind of player.

In his first two NFL games, Jeanty has carried the football 30 times for 81 yards and a touchdown, averaging 2.7 yards per carry. He has also caught five passes for three yards.

Obviously, that is not what fans expected from the dynamic running back.

Following his first two games, Jeanty spoke out with a strong message about his role. He’s clearly not feeling the pressure after starting his rookie season slow.

“I don’t think you draft a guy like me to not give me carries and touches. I’m ready for the responsibility,” Jeanty said. “Like I said, it’s gonna start with me in the run game, and I gotta continue to get better. … There’s a learning curve to the NFL for every single rookie that comes in. I think it’s really rare that a guy comes in and is ballin’ off the rip. I’m not feeling no type of way towards it; like I said, I need to get better. The big-time performances that everybody might be expecting, those will come, but it’s just about consistency.”

Fans being frustrated with his slow start is also understandable. Anyone who watched him at Boise State would expect to see more explosiveness.

Speaking of his college career, his final season resulted in him being a Heisman Trophy finalist. He racked up 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on 374 carries, which averages out to seven yards per attempt.

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No one should give up on Jeanty becoming that kind of player in the NFL. The Raiders still have a future star on their hands. Having patience with a young player is key.

Next up for Las Vegas and Jeanty will be a Week 3 matchup against the Washington Commanders on the road. Hopefully, Jeanty can put together the best performance of his career and helped lead the Raiders to a win and a 2-1 record.

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