Ashton Jeanty draws scathing critique from former quarterback

The Las Vegas Raiders defeated the New England Patriots 20-13 on Sunday, but one player who likely came away dissatisfied with their performance was Ashton Jeanty.

Drafted sixth overall back in April, many expected the running back to be dominant right out of the box. Instead, Jeanty could only muster 38 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The struggles of the offensive line and the rain-soaked field of Gillette Stadium did not help matters, but two yards per carry is always going to be a cause for concern.

In a league where patience is in short supply, the struggles have already lead some to question whether Jesnty was truly worth the hype.

One analyst has already appeared to throw in the towel on Jeanty.

Former NFL quarterback and NBC analyst Chris Simms recapped the game, and then proceeded to single out Jeanty with pointed criticisms.

“Ashton Jeanty, I know he’s the star, but … I don’t like the way Ashton Jeanty looks,” Simms said on PFT Live.

“He has not impressed me once yet. There’s a lack of explosion that I think is lacking for a guy that was drafted in the top 10. I’m hoping I’m wrong because I loved watching him in college football, but I’ve not been thoroughly impressed at all.”

The good news is that Raiders fans have seen this movie play out with Jeanty before.

Against the Seattle Seahawks in the preseason, Jeanty saw similar issues with his offensive line pop up, not allowing him to get any space to operate. He then proceeded to showcase his ability in the next two preseason games. With that in mind, it is far too early to write Jeanty off, especially after just one game.

“Ashton was hyped,” Carroll said Monday during a press conference. “He was jacked up and he would tell you, I think, that he wishes he had been a little more patient on some reads and things like that. That will come. He didn’t look like that in preseason. This game, being out there, being called on to play and carry the ball 19 times, it was a little bit different for him. He’ll play way better, he’ll see things more clearly. I know he was a little frustrated by that.”

It is fair to chalk the Patriots game as a case of first-game jitters for Jeanty, but the concern level will certainly rise if the next few games feature more of the same.