The Las Vegas Raiders took a big swing in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick. Taking a running back this early defied conventional wisdom, but Las Vegas had the worst rushing attack in the league in 2024.
Plus, Jeanty was, by all accounts, a generational prospect. He was fresh off a runner-up finish for the Heisman Trophy after a season in which he ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. His rookie campaign, however, has not gotten off to the hottest start.
Overall, the offense in Las Vegas is struggling due to some poor choices by offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, and the running game has not gotten going due to poor run-blocking. But, in a vacuum, Jeanty's usage does not make sense at all either.
Chip Kelly and Raiders not using Ashton Jeanty properly
Jeanty was taken so early in the draft with the assumption that he would be a featured player on a new-look Raiders offense that needed to have more success on the ground. It is baffling, then, that Las Vegas has the fourth-lowest run rate through two weeks.
They also have the seventh-lowest run rate when the score is within eight points, which means they are not even relying on him in close games. Part of the reason may be that he has the third-lowest yards per touch of a first-round running back since the merger, but it has not been his fault.
One wild NFL stat that proves this notion is that Jeanty has recorded 81 rushing yards this season, 84 of which have come after contact. He also has just three receiving yards, but 26 after contact. His elusivity rating is through the roof, but the Raiders' blockers are making it almost impossible for him to even get back to the line of scrimmage.
In fact, he has been contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage on 54.5% of his touches. Clearly, the current run-blocking scheme is not working, so Kelly needs to manufacture some looks for Jeanty in space or diversify his route tree so he can touch the ball more downfield.
When he gets the ball in his hands, he is incredibly special and can make even the best players in the league miss. His spin move against Derwin James and the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football was emblematic of how great he can be, but also how tough Las Vegas is making it on him.
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To make matters even more confusing, Jeanty played much better in Week 2 than he did on opening weekend, yet he ceded more playing time to the other running backs. Despite playing seven more offensive snaps as a team, Jeanty went from playing 54 snaps against the Patriots to just 39 against the Chargers.
Zamir White saw his workload balloon from nine snaps to 21, and Dylan Laube went from not seeing the field on offense to getting 12 snaps against Los Angeles. One of the big criticisms of Jeanty has been that he is a poor run-blocker, and this video that has been circulating is a bad indictment.
But it was one play, and he was solid in pass protection in Week 1. If the reasoning for not having him on the field is that he struggles in this area, then the Raiders probably shouldn't have taken him sixth overall. The truth of the matter, however, is that he fares just fine as a pass-blocker, and Las Vegas refuses to unleash him.
Not only was he on the sideline for the two-minute drill near the end of the first half, but he was also out of the game when the team was down two scores at the end. The Raiders also had seven plays in the red zone on Monday, and Jeanty did not get a single carry.
It is simply unacceptable for an elite player who was taken with premier draft capital to be used like this. Kelly halted his momentum early in the game when he was rushing well and put in White, who stalled the offense.
Jeanty simply has to be more of a focal point of this offense, or the unit will never reach its full potential. Kelly has to establish the run with his young star and diversify his usage in the pass-catching game. Otherwise, it will feel like a waste of a pick, due to no fault of Jeanty.