The Las Vegas Raiders selected Ashton Jeanty with the expectation that he would elevate this offense to an elite level. The move was made in tandem with trading for quarterback Geno Smith, the hiring of an experienced offensive mind in Chip Kelly, and the selection of several young offensive linemen and wide receivers in the draft.
While some hoped that Jeanty would make an instant impact, the way Josh Jacobs did in 2019, or top picks from other teams like Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs did, that hasn't been the case so far during his rookie season.
What fans saw from Jeanty at Boise State was this kind of difference-making, but it has yet to fully translate to the NFL level. Jeanty, despite his incredible talent, has not been able to transcend the struggles of the offense, but selecting him was still the right choice for the Raiders.
ESPN analyst lambasts Ashton Jeanty selection despite Raiders' overall offensive struggles
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, however, has a different opinion about the Jeanty selection, making it sound like the Raiders made an all-time blunder by drafting him. Barnwell, in a recent piece, rated the best and worst offseason moves by all 32 teams, and said that selecting Jeanty was “always a curious choice”.
"A team doesn't draft a running back with the sixth pick unless it thinks he can be a transcendent player, and Jeanty has mostly been unable to overcome the offensive dysfunction in Las Vegas," Barnwell wrote. "Taking a running back that high in what was regarded as the deepest RB class in recent memory was always a curious choice, and Vegas' other top-100 picks (wideout Jack Bech, cornerback Darien Porter and offensive linemen Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant) have yet to make an impact, too."
The main issue that Barnwell has with the pick is that he seemingly thinks that Jeanty is not a transcendent player. But that is a bit of a short-sighted viewpoint to take because there is a mountain of evidence to the contrary.
Fans have already seen Jeanty take over a game when the offense is struggling, with Week 4 against the Chicago Bears serving as the best example. Geno Smith threw 3 interceptions in that game, but thanks to 155 yards and 3 touchdowns from Jeanty, the Raiders still had a chance to win.
In the matchup against the Tennessee Titans, Jeanty showed off the ability to be a workhorse back, with 23 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown to keep the struggling Titans from posing a serious threat.
Other matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, and Washington Commanders got out of hand too quickly for any running back to truly be effective. When the offense as a whole has less than 100 yards, as they did against the Chiefs, it’s hard to lay the blame on Jeanty.
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The other point that Barnwell makes is that the 2025 draft class was the deepest for running backs in recent memory. But it should be noted that only a few of the other backs in the class have made any kind of impact.
Despite his struggles, Jeanty is 18th in the NFL in rushing yards and should move up the list when he catches up and plays his eighth game on Sunday. Quinshon Judkins is the only other rookie in the top 20, with Cam Skattebo and Bill Croskey-Merritt just outside at No. 21 and No. 22, respectively.
When looking at the advanced stats, 384 of Jeanty’s 445 rushing yards have come after contact, which is the 7th-most in the NFL. This means that 86% of his yards came after being hit, which is indicative of the struggles of the offensive line.
Further proof of those struggles is Jeanty being dead-last in the NFL with just 1.3 yards per attempt coming before contact. If the Raiders had even an average run-blocking offensive line, fans would quickly watch him explode like the star they know he is.
Fans know that great running back talent can be found in the later rounds of the draft, but 11 of the top 15 rushers this season were selected in the second round or earlier. So, draft pedigree still matters.
There is the argument that the Raiders had other, more pressing needs on offense, but they had a chance to pick a generational talent, and they didn't pass it up. The Raiders did this with Brock Bowers to great success, and Jeanty can have a similar impact once he truly gets going.
The impact of Jeanty's selection may not be fully felt this season, but the Raiders have him under contract for another 3 years with the possibility of a fifth-year option as well. Given what the advanced analytics indicate and what Jeanty has shown, purely from an eye test perspective, selecting him was the right move for the present and future of the Raiders.