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Raiders' Pete Carroll shares what he likes about Ashton Jeanty
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Raiders' Pete Carroll shares what he likes about Ashton Jeanty

The progression of rookie RB Ashton Jeanty in training camp —especially the past two days — is opening the eyes of head coach Pete Carroll.

To say Carroll is excited by having Jeanty on his team is an understatement, given the hype since he was drafted out of Boise State.

Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated asked Carroll about backups Zamir White and Sincere McCormick, but went a step further, describing what he's seen from Jeanty since wearing pads on Monday.

"He's had a couple great days," Carroll said Tuesday. "He's done a little bit of everything. He ran tough and caught the ball well. He looked elusive, fast and explosive. It just makes the whole position group really exciting."

The words from Carroll should excite the team since the Raiders' rushing attack was nonexistent last season, finishing last in the NFL in rushing with 79.8 yards per game. It is the main reason why Raiders GM John Spytek selected Jeanty with the sixth overall pick.

Last season at Boise State, Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards and won the Doak Walker Award, given to college football's best RB. He was the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

It is not a surprise that the 5-foot-8 Jeanty is receiving praise from NFL Network analyst and former Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew, with him saying that "Ashton Jeanty is the best prospect I've scouted since I've been scouting."

The Raiders haven't been known to have a strong running attack, ranking in the middle to the bottom since the 2019 season. When Carroll was the Seahawks head coach, his 2018 team ranked first in rushing (160.0 YPG) with Chris Carson leading the way, finishing with 1,151 yards and nine TDs.

From 2012-15, the Seahawks were near the top in rushing behind Marshawn Lynch and made the playoffs in those seasons. If the Raiders can get the same results from Jeanty under Carroll, then success could also be coming to Vegas.

Anthony Galaviz

Anthony Galaviz is a big sports fan since at the age of 2 when he began crying when the TV channel changed. True story. He started writing about sports in 1999 for The Fresno Bee in California

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