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Ashton Jeanty's Raiders Debut Leads to Foolish Reactions

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Andrew Parsaud | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders tied with the Seattle Seahawks in their first preseason game of the year on Thursday night. Raiders starters didn't get much playing time, but still saw the field to open up the game.

Star rookie running back Ashton Jeanty had fans hyped to see what he could do in his first appearance as a Raider. It was quite disappointing, as Jeanty would carry the ball three times for -1 yards on the night. The Raiders selected Jeanty with the No.6 overall pick back in April, as they hope the Heisman finalist can help rejuvenate their struggling offense.

While it was just preseason and Jeanty will certainly bounce back from a performance like that one, it was all social media needed in order to create viral memes about the Raiders' running back.

Ashton Jeanty went OFF pic.twitter.com/geM8xW8Vch
— Underdog (@Underdog) August 8, 2025

These were just a few of *many* posts centered around the Raiders' ballcarrier. This is only fuel to the fire, as Jeanty can come back with a stellar performance next week and shut the critics up. It seems that social media forgot what Jeanty was able to do last season at Boise State.

Jeanty's Elite Talent

Jeanty rushed for a ridiculous 2,601 yards and 21 touchdowns last season for the Broncos on an insane 374 carries. The previous season, he rushed for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns. All of Jeanty's Boise State stats are pretty impressive, but one that sticks out tremendously is that he averaged 185.8 rushing yards per game in 2024 and 119.2 for his collegiate career.

An underrated aspect of Jeanty's game that hasn't been put on display just yet with the Raiders is his pass catching ability. He caught 80 passes for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns over his Boise State career, proving he can be a solid option in the receiving game out of the backfield.

Long story short, everybody is overreacting to one game. Jeanty is already being touted to be one of the league's premier running backs when his rookie season is up. He wasn't a Heisman finalist for nothing and it doesn't matter what competition he faced in college, Jeanty has the traits to be elite in the NFL.

Give it some time and Jeanty's critics will soon become quiet.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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