The Las Vegas Raiders hit the jackpot for the second year in a row when generational running back prospect Ashton Jeanty fell into their lap with the No. 6 overall pick. Jeanty was a much-needed addition, as the Raiders had the worst rushing attack in the league last year by a good margin.
Many felt that this was a luxury pick that Las Vegas could not afford, and that the draft class was incredibly deep at the position. However, someone has to come away with the cream of the crop, and head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly could not leave without him.
He is expected to make an instant impact for the Raiders' offense and many are already penciling him in as the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Depending on how Las Vegas fares as a team, he could even be in the running for Offensive Player of the Year.
Maurice Jones-Drew ranked Ashton Jeanty behind Omarion Hampton
But former Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew thinks differently. In fact, in his recent NFL running back rankings, he slotted Jeanty below Los Angeles Chargers rookie Omarion Hampton. He had Hampton at No. 13 and Jeanty at No. 17.
"Some of you might be surprised to see Hampton ranked higher than No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty, based on their respective standings in my pre-draft RB rankings, but hear me out," Jones-Drew wrote. "Hampton joins a Jim Harbaugh-led offense that loves to run the ball, so there will be plenty of touches to go around. He should be the bell cow for this unit -- with veteran Najee Harris in the backup role -- thanks to his patience and ability to bounce off defenders. Hampton is in the perfect situation to find early success, and while you could say similar things about Jeanty, Pete Carroll's recent comments (which I'll get to in a minute) swayed my opinion some."
While Harbaugh is certainly a big proponent of the run game in Los Angeles, Carroll is an equal proponent of the run game in Las Vegas. Plus, the Raiders' offensive line is arguably better between the tackles than the Chargers is, which can only help a rookie running back.
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Najee Harris is also an incredibly strong running back to pair with Hampton, and it is far more likely that he will eat into Hampton's snaps than anyone will into Jeanty's. Still, Jones-Drew ran with Carroll's comments about relying on multiple backs in the run game.
"I can't wait to watch Jeanty take his first NFL snap. The No. 6 overall pick in this year's draft is tough to tackle and should fit perfectly in an attack that wants to bully opponents under Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly," Jones-Drew wrote. "Carroll said last month that the offense won't rely on just one back in the ground game, but it's hard to envision the Raiders consistently looking to Raheem Mostert, Zamir White or Sincere McCormick when they have a talent like Jeanty on the roster."
Time will certainly tell if Jones-Drew was correct in his prediction, but it is far more likely at this point that Jeanty is the workhorse back in Las Vegas than Hampton is in Los Angeles. Harris has run for over 1,000 yards in each of his last four seasons, whereas Mostert has one such season in a decade.
Jeanty was one of the most exciting prospects in recent memory, but as expected, the minute he donned the Silver and Black, people were going to doubt him. However, these are not the same old Raiders, and Jeanty is not one to be counted out before the season even begins.