Ashton Jeanty joined the Las Vegas Raiders with high expectations after a historic final college season with the Boise State Broncos. The Heisman Trophy runner-up was destined to be a workhorse back for an offense that had the worst rushing attack in the league during the 2024 season.
The sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has not brought much help to the struggling rushing attack, however. After three games, Las Vegas has the third-fewest rushing yards per carry and rushing yards per game in the league.
Jeanty has struggled to get going, but the offensive line has not provided him with much help, as they've failed to create running lanes. He recently faced criticism from ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, who stated that Jeanty did not have the "It" factor, even in college.
Raiders star Ashton Jeanty brushes off Ryan Clark's criticism
Jeanty has recorded 144 rushing yards and one touchdown on 47 carries across the first three games of his career, while adding five receptions for three yards. He is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and 49.0 yards of offense per game.
When speaking with the media on Wednesday, a reporter asked Jeanty if he saw Clark's comments and how he may have felt about them. The Raiders' star rookie, of course, took the high road but also subtly buried Clark in his response.
"I haven't seen anything," Jeanty said. "Don't really care what anybody has to say about me, anyways, so it's cool."
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It is unlikely that Jeanty did not hear of the criticism from Clark, whether that was on his own or through someone informing him. The fact that he opted to take the high road, which many players often choose not to do, shows the maturity of the rookie running back. He also burned Clark a bit by noting that he did not care what he had to say.
While he has faced plenty of criticism for his struggles to begin the season, it is important to note that Jeanty's lack of production is through basically no fault of his own. The Raiders' first-round pick has 144 rushing yards for the season; however, he has 146 rushing yards after contact.
Las Vegas' offensive line has struggled to consistently create running lanes, which has drastically affected the production of Jeanty and the offense as a whole. If the unit can show improvement as the year progresses, the sixth overall pick should be able to prove both why the Raiders selected him, and why Ryan Clark spoke too soon about Jeanty..