It only took one play for Ashton Jeanty to prove doubters wrong in Raiders-49ers game

The Las Vegas Raiders invested a lot in Ashton Jeanty, as they grabbed him with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Expectations are certainly high for the Boise State product, as many are expecting him to revitalize the Raiders' league-worst rushing attack from 2024.

In his first preseason game, however, his production was far from ideal. Though the offensive line did not help him out too much, he ran only three times for -1 yards. While it was just a preseason game, fans around the league began to doubt him and label him as the Silver and Black's next draft bust.

Real fans in Raider Nation knew that these assertions were ludicrous. Not only was he not solely to blame for his lack of production, but it was such a small sample size in an ultimately meaningless game. On Thursday, he responded by having a strong showing at joint practices against the 49ers.

Ashton Jeanty dominates 49ers defense in Raiders' preseason matchup

Jeanty was able to parlay this outing into a dominant performance against San Francisco in the team's second preseason game. He ran seven times for 33 yards, which averages out to 4.7 yards per carry, and he added his first NFL touchdown. Jeanty also caught one pass for two yards.

While Jeanty was in the midst of proving his doubters wrong, one play, in particular, stood out. Late in the first quarter, Jeanty took a handoff on 2nd-and-7 and skirted right through the 49ers' first level of defense. Then, he laid the boom on cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, trucking him and bouncing off for a first down and more yards.

If there was any doubt about Jeanty bouncing back or his game translating from the Mountain West to the NFL, those voices have surely been silenced. Jeanty ran over another 49ers defender earlier in the game, but he had to go into the medical tent after that collision.

RELATED: Jimmy Garoppolo is already up to his old tricks (and Davante Adams has to be furious)

He responded, however, by showing no fear and going right back to what he knows best, which is running right through a defender's face. The NFL's official social media pages captured another angle of the vicious truck against Lenoir.

Jeanty and the first-team offense looked to be more on the same page this week than they did in Seattle. Geno Smith was able to spread the ball around, and they had two scoring drives before heading to the sidelines and resting for the remainder of the game.

There was no doubt in the minds of Raider Nation that Jeanty would respond strongly to his underwhelming debut. However, he put the entire league on notice with his ferocious running style on Saturday, and his doubters have very little, if anything, left to say.

More Raiders news and analysis