When one buys or leases a car, the value of it diminishes the moment that they drive away from the dealership. Such is the case for most NFL players, particularly first-round picks who don't instantly pan out. Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, to most, falls into that category.
But the good folks of Raider Nation, who actually watched the games last year and didn't just follow the box score, know that Jeanty can be absolved of almost all of the blame for Las Vegas' run game woes a season ago. The young talent was thwarted by poor offensive line play at every turn.
Still, investing in running backs in the first round is risky business, as most view their shelf lives to be short and every carry as more tread on the tires. But despite a precarious rookie season in which he got no help at all, Jeanty has somehow maintained his value ahead of Year 2 with the Raiders.
Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty still viewed as worth a first-rounder
ESPN's Bill Barnwell created an exercise in which he determined how many players in the current NFL landscape could fetch a first-round pick or more in a potential trade. He found 155 such players, including Fernando Mendoza, Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers.
Oh, and Ashton Jeanty.
"Top-10 picks don't lose significant value over the course of one year without a serious injury, so I still think there would be real interest in Jeanty if the Raiders did decide to move on from their second-year halfback. Remember that the Browns got a first-round pick from the Colts for Trent Richardson midway through the 2012 No. 3 pick's second season in the league. Jeanty's debut campaign was actually eerily similar to Richardson's in terms of production, but let's hope he can do more in his second pro season."
For the sake of our collective sanity, Raider Nation, let's ignore the lazy Trent Richardson parallel and focus on the fact that Las Vegas' asset has not seen its value diminish quite yet. Klint Kubiak should foster a much better environment for Jeanty, and his talent is still undeniable.
Most people don't think that running backs are worth a Day 1 pick in the first place, so the fact that Jeanty is still perceived as this valuable, 321 touches and an underwhelming 3-14 season later, is a great sign both for the young player and the organization.
If Jeanty can make the most of a better overall offensive situation and become the lethal dual-threat back that everyone expected him to be coming out of Boise State, then we could be looking at a player worth more than what was initially invested in him this time next year.
The Raiders' stock market has been quite low for some time now, but they finally have capital worth investing in. There is obviously no reason to sell off these shares in promising young players, but it is nice to know that Las Vegas has some valuable commodities in the building.
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