Ashton Jeanty take from analyst is concerning for Raiders fans

Everyone is excited to see the ways running back Ashton Jeanty will change the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.

Leading the nation in rushing last season with the Boise State Broncos, Jeanty looks poised to fix what was the worst running game in the league last season. While some analysts have questioned how the Raiders offense will improve, particularly with the number of variables in the receiving corps, it is a mostly unanimous opinion that Jeanty will terrorize the league. Offensive Rookie of the Year is squarely in his sights, and Offensive Player of the Year is not entirely unfeasible if everything breaks right.

However, one analyst is worried that the hype train on Jeanty is beginning to get out of control.

A player with a similar status to Jeanty should strike a little fear in the hearts of Raiders fans.

When looking through the offensive weapons the Raiders have at their disposal, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell mentioned that, while Jeanty is one of the more impressive running back prospects in recent memory, the Silver and Black have seen this movie play out before.

“Vegas will hope to add a second game changer on a rookie deal this offseason with first-round pick Ashton Jeanty, who should step in as the lead back ahead of Raheem Mostert. Jeanty enters the league with filthy game tape on record from his time at Boise State, but Raiders fans who can remember Darren McFadden’s time with the franchise might want to temper their expectations appropriately,” wrote Barnwell.

“Over the past 20 years, rookie backs taken in the top 10 have averaged 202 carries for 892 yards and seven rushing scores in their debut seasons. With a 17th game unavailable to many of those other backs, a 1,000-yard campaign should be considered a successful year for the 21-year-old Jeanty.”

Barnwell’s opinion is certainly in the minority when it comes to Jeanty, but mentioning McFadden in the same breath is sure to cause at least a painful memory or two to pop back up.

Drafted fourth overall in 2008 out of the University of Arkansas, McFadden was expected to be a game changer for the Raiders out of the backfield. Instead, McFadden crossed the 1,000-yard mark once in his seven seasons with the Raiders, struggling to fend off the likes of Michael Bush, Rashad Jennings and Latavius Murray during his tenure. The man known as ‘Run DMC’ would only cross the milestone one more time with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015.

There is no reason Jeanty should not have a better career arc, but there is at least something to remind the Raiders to stay the proper course in his development.