The Raiders' Most Critical Player That is Not a QB

Many teams do not believe in drafting a running back in the draft. However, most teams have not struggled to run the ball as much as the Raiders have over the past coupl of seasons.

Still, the Raiders' decision to draft running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft comes with high expectations.

Jared Dubin of CBS Sports recently listed the most important non-quarterback on each team heading into the season. Jeanty was Dubin's selection for the Raiders.

"When you invest a top-six pick into a running back, he damn well better be dominant right away," Dubin said.

Following Organized Team Activities, Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly explained what it is that he has seen from Jeanty so far. Las Vegas will likely depend on Jeanty heavily this upcoming season, as they continue to transition to a new coaching staff.

"I mean, 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. 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," Kelly said.

"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. It's different, obviously as we know during OTAs, because it's not tackle. We're not taking guys to the ground. I don't think he'll get tackled till we get to our first preseason game, but I'm really excited.

"The one thing about him is he's a really quick learner. He also had experience there with Dirk Koetter, was his offensive coordinator in his last year. Dirk has been a long time coach in this league, been a head coach in this league, and is a really, really good football guy. So he came in with a good basis and understanding. And so, he's done a great job, really, really excited to work with him. I know everybody in the offensive staff was excited when Spy [John Spytek] made that selection."

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