The Las Vegas Raiders and their fanbase could not wait to put the 2025 NFL season in the rearview mirror. A day after the campaign concluded, head coach Pete Carroll was fired, and Raider Nation immediately set its sights on the upcoming coaching cycle and April's draft.
A laundry list of issues plagued the Silver and Black, namely the offensive line. The rushing attack's immense struggles were a tentacle of that, as star rookie Ashton Jeanty was largely held back during his first NFL season. But the No. 6 overall pick still showed signs of being an incredibly special player.
Someone's perception of Jeanty's performance in his inaugural professional campaign is an almost direct indicator of whether or not that person watched the game, or whether they simply followed the box score. Those who watched saw how dominant he'll be with the right pieces around him.
Ashton Jeanty earns PWFA All-Rookie honor despite nightmare Raiders season
Despite this uphill battle as a first-year player, however, Jeanty still earned a coveted NFL honor. The PFWA released its 2025 All-Rookie selections, and Jeanty was named to the team alongside the New England Patriots' TreVeyon Henderson on Tuesday.
This makes him only the third rookie running back in Raiders history to be selected, along with Marcus Allen and Josh Jacobs. Only 36 other rookies in franchise history have made this list since its inception in 1974. Last year, both Brock Bowers and Jackson Powers-Johnson were honored.
Jeanty was the only Las Vegas rookie to earn this distinction in 2025, but that is mainly a product of Carroll's reluctance to play the team's first-year players. Plenty of others, like Darien Porter, Jack Bech and Caleb Rogers, to name a few, showed promise when given an opportunity.
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The statistics from Jeanty's first campaign still don't quite feel real, as he earned 815 of his 975 rushing yards after contact. That means 83.6% of his rushing yards came after being hit, which is just mind-boggling, especially for such a young player.
Las Vegas' offense was so inept in 2025, especially when it came to run-blocking, that not only were Jeanty's opportunities few and far between at times, but he wasn't exactly getting a lot of help when he did get the chance to get into a rhythm.
2026 should be much better for Jeanty and Co., as a rookie quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, a new coach and a revamped offensive line will give him the help that he needs. With some assistance, it won't be long until Jeanty is ascending into All-Pro conversations. This is just the beginning.