The Las Vegas Raiders' new leadership tandem of general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll knew exactly what the team had to do in order to get better this offseason.
A quarterback room devoid of a franchise-level player needed a surefire veteran starter, and a league-worst rushing attack needed an infusion of talent in the backfield.
Fortunately, these realizations netted the franchise an experienced signal-caller like Geno Smith, and a generational running back prospect like Ashton Jeanty. All of a sudden, the team has two great solutions where they had major question marks a season ago.
Ashton Jeanty has lofty goals for his rookie season
Jeanty ran for video game-like numbers while at Boise State last season, totaling 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground. He also added another 138 yards and a touchdown through the air.
While much is expected of Jeanty during his rookie season, fans are being realistic about what kind of numbers he can muster in his first professional campaign. Jeanty, however, is not holding himself back and believes that he can put up All-Pro-level numbers as a rookie.
For context on where these numbers would place him, 1,500 yards would have been the third-most in the NFL last season behind legendary running backs Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry. 15 touchdowns would have been tied for the fourth-most in the league with Josh Jacobs, behind Henry, James Cook and Jahmyr Gibbs.
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Raider Nation has seen a rookie be an All-Pro as recently as last season, when tight end Brock Bowers earned First-Team honors in 2024. Jeanty is thought to be just as good, if not a better prospect as Bowers, and he will be entering a far better situation.
With an improved quarterback under center and a slew of better pass-catching options, the Raiders' offense has a chance to be special under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. The better that the unit does as a whole, the more conducive it will be to eye-popping stats for Jeanty.
If Jeanty does not reach these numbers in his first year, then the franchise and fan base will not lose hope that he will get there eventually. However, given his talent and circumstances, he is more than capable of ripping off a season like this, and it would shock very few people if his numbers were even better.