The Las Vegas Raiders mortgaged a lot on running back Ashton Jeanty during the 2025 NFL Draft. After an offseason in which they upgraded the quarterback, head coach and offensive coordinator, the new leadership tandem felt like Jeanty was the missing piece in Las Vegas.
While he has shown flashes of incredible talent during his rookie campaign, it has largely been spoiled by inconsistent usage, poor offensive line play, and his strong performances being swept under the rug by the countless Raiders losses piling up.
After a change at offensive coordinator from Chip Kelly to Greg Olson, the hope was that the offense would get a jolt, and players like Jeanty could benefit from that. Of course, that did not come to fruition in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jason McCourty had high praise for Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty
Former NFL defensive back and current analyst Jason McCourty was on the call for Las Vegas' 31-14 loss to their AFC West foe, and he perfectly echoed the Ashton Jeanty reality that Raider Nation has been living throughout the season.
"You see the explosion and elusiveness. He's had it all day; it just hasn't shown up in the stats."Jason McCourty on Ashton Jeanty
Yeah, that about sums it up. Anyone who watches the games can see how special Jeanty is, and how rarely he goes down on the defense's first attempt at tackling him. Before Sunday's game, Jeanty had 604 rushing yards on the year, 515 of which came after contact.
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Jeanty has 221 receiving yards this year, but he had 333 yards after the catch. The rookie is essentially having to create all of his own offense, and then some, without the help of even a below-average offensive line. He may be playing behind the worst blocking group in recent NFL memory.
In Week 13, Jeanty ran 15 times for just 31 yards and caught 6 passes for 30 yards. That seems wildly unimpressive and inefficient when just looking at the box score, but his play on the field still indicates that he'll be a problem for opposing defenses when he finally gets some offensive help.
McCourty is a Super Bowl champion and was a longtime NFL veteran, so he's been around the block a time or two. His noticing that Jeanty is much more special than the stat sheet shows is just further proof for Raider Nation that they aren't crazy to still firmly believe in Jeanty despite a slow start.