Jan 27, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek (left) and coach Pete Carroll at press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One Reason to be Optimistic About the Raiders

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders have plenty to look forward to after making several changes over the past few months.

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports recently listed one reason for optimism for every team in the National Football League. The Raiders addressed several positions of need this offseason.

"The Raiders were downright terrible running the football last season. They ran for a league-worst 1,357 yards in 2024, giving them a per-game average of 79.8 yards rushing. Those fortunes will change, however, now that Las Vegas deployed the No. 6 overall pick at the 2025 NFL Draft to bring in runner Ashton Jeanty," Sullivan said.

"The Boise State star was a beast during this final collegiate season, rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. That production, combined with his blend of elite traits, has earned him comparisons to LaDainian Tomlinson during the pre-draft process. Even if he's a sliver of Tomlinson, it should be a night-and-day difference for the Raiders on the ground."

Following minicamp, Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly noted what he likes about Jeanty. Training camp gives Kelly and the Raiders a chance to see Jeanty in full pads. The Raiders are one step closer to changing the narrative.

"Ashton is as talented at back as a young guy coming in the league that I've seen. He's really special. His ability to sustain runs after contact, his contact balances is kind of a really rare quality. He's got a low center of gravity, and I think it's tough to get him down and normally the first guy doesn't," Kelly said.

"And you look at all of the tape of his games last year, and it didn't matter who he played, because they obviously played in the Mountain West, but when he played Oregon and he played Penn State, you look at how he performed in those games. And I think sometimes you get caught up in just looking at the numbers, but I think it was like 35 missed tackles he created in the Penn State game. Now, Penn State's defense, we played against them, they're outstanding. That was a little bit different league for Boise at that time, but not for Ashton in terms of what he did. So, excited to see him."

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

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