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The Las Vegas Raiders have high expectations for rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty was the team's first NFL Draft pick at the 2025 draft. The talented rookie rusher is getting an endorsement from former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew.
“He's ready. They are excited about what he is bringing to the table,” Jones-Drew said in an interview on NFL Network.
"He's gonna be a the focal point of this offense."@MJD talks with @Mike_Yam about expectations for Ashton Jeanty at @Raiders camp ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bSTTX5Z1mV
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 27, 2025
Jones-Drew believes that Jeanty's size makes him a dangerous weapon for the Raiders this season.
“I really believe that short running backs are the gold standard in the NFL. Hard to tackle, he has great contact balance. Short area of quickness,” Jones-Drew added. “He's going to be the focal point of this offense.”
In 2024, Jeanty was a Heisman Trophy finalist in college. Playing for Boise State, Jeanty finished the season with 2,601 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns. He led Boise State to the College Football Playoff, where the squad lost to Penn State.
Jeanty was the sixth overall pick of the 2025 draft.
The Raiders have high hopes for the 2025 season
Jeanty is just one in a sea of new faces for the Raiders. Las Vegas has a new head coach in veteran Pete Carroll, who joins the team after several seasons working with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Raiders also have a new quarterback in veteran Geno Smith, who previously played in Seattle for Carroll. Raiders fans hope the new combination of coaches and players can bring success to Las Vegas. The Raiders have made the NFL Playoffs just a handful of times in the last 20 years.
Raiders general manager John Spytek thinks his team is ready for the task ahead.
“We won four games last year, and we've got to be realistic with that. We've got a lot of really good young players, I think,” Spytek said in February, per the team. “We've got some good veteran players, and we've just got to add quality humans and competitors to this roster wherever we can. And to me that's the biggest thing is like some guys that will do the harder thing longer than the person across from them, and we'll be in a good spot.”
Las Vegas starts its preseason schedule on August 7, in a game with the Seahawks. The Raiders then start the regular season on September 7 against the New England Patriots.
