Reflecting on Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty's Rookie Season
The 2026 NFL Draft is this week. We're almost there, everyone.
The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick. Mendoza was the best player in college football last season, winning the Heisman Trophy and helping the Hoosiers win the national title.
The Raiders' draft plans in 2026 have been relatively drama-free, so with the draft just a couple of days away, let's take a chance to look back on how things went in the 2025 draft.
Ashton Jeanty's Rookie Season
Las Vegas selected running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick. While there were other players of greater positional value on the board, the Raiders went with the player they believed was the best in the class.
Jeanty's rookie season was a mixed bag in terms of production. He totaled 266 carries for 975 yards and five touchdowns, also catching 55 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns.
More than 1,300 scrimmage yards and double-digit touchdowns is a great way to begin an NFL career, especially when he played behind a poor offensive line. He finished with 807 yards after contact (83 percent), and at one point, that number was at 101 percent (yes, 101 percent).
Jeanty averaged fewer than three yards per carry, which was a sign of his inability to figure out the speed of the NFL, as well as the offensive line not giving him enough room to run. That number improved marginally over the year, but he got off to a slow start.
Improvement
As the season progressed, we saw the game start to slow down for Jeanty, and he turned in more quality performances. This was especially true over the final seven games of the season.
In those seven games, he totaled 117 carries for 421 yards and a touchdown, including a 128-yard performance against the Houston Texans. However, advanced statistics did not look favorably upon his rookie season.
With a new offensive line coach and new pieces to give Jeanty room to run, along with the threat of a real passing game, Jeanty should have a much better second season. He understands how to attack defenses better and understands the nuances of the NFL.
The Raiders have a potential star on their hands, and what Jeanty does will be key to the team's future. Now, it's up to the front office to add pieces around him to make his life easier on the field.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as Reflecting on Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty's Rookie Season.
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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 8:30 AM.