Hall of Fame Raiders wide receiver has surprising comparison for Ashton Jeanty

Over the last nine months, Ashton Jeanty’s skillset has been linked to several of the NFL’s greatest running backs. 

Alvin Kamara, Bijan Robinson, Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson have all been compared to Jeanty, who led the country in carries (374), rushing yards (2,601) and rushing touchdowns (29) during his junior season for Boise State. Jeanty was selected sixth overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Raiders legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown had a different — and surprising — comparison for Jeanty during a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams. 

“The guy that he really reminds me of is Napoleon Kaufman,” Brown told Adams. “I think Napoleon came into the league with a very undersized body. … But I mean, he had the ability to return punts and kicks and do a lot of great things. And his ability to hit a hole and explode was really, really amazing.”

A two-time All-American while playing for the Washington Huskies, Kaufman was selected 18th overall by the Raiders in the 1995 draft.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Kaufman was a home run hitter who rushed for a Raiders single-game record 227 yards against the 1997 Denver Broncos, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Kaufman’s record held until 2022 when Josh Jacobs ran for 229 yards against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Kaufman abruptly retired from football in 2000 to pursue a career in ministry. During his six seasons with the Raiders, Kaufman compiled 4,792 rushing yards, 1,107 receiving yards and 2,149 kick return yards. 

Kaufman’s 4.9 yards per carry average is tied for 10th all-time in the NFL among non-quarterbacks. 

Brown noted that Jeanty will likely shoulder a larger load of the offense than Kaufman did during his time with the Raiders. Kaufman split carries with Harvey Williams and Tyrone Wheatley throughout his Raiders career. 

“(Kaufman) wasn’t asked to carry the load as much,” Brown told Adams. “Jeanty, it’s going to be all on him to carry the load with the running game, and hopefully he can get that done.

“I think this guy is going to be great for the Raiders. I’m really looking forward to seeing him play.”

The 5-foot-8, 211-pound Jeanty was the highest-drafted player in Boise State history. He recorded 1,970 yards after contact while forcing 164 missed tackles as a junior.

With Jeanty leading the way, Boise State finished 12-2 overall and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.