Silver And Black Pride
Diving into the first-round pick’s tape
After months of waiting and a last-minute few smoke screens, the Las Vegas Raiders finally have their running back after taking Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jeanty is coming off a historic season where he led the country with 2,595 rushing yards, nearly 900 more than any other running back. Even more impressive, the second-leading rusher in college football last fall was Jeanty after contact. According to Pro Football Focus, his 1,970 yards after contact were over 250 yards more than any running back had in total.
The former Bronco is expected to take over Las Vegas’ backfield this year and help improve the NFL’s worst rushing attack. So, let’s dive into the tape and get a quick look at what he can bring to the Raiders’ offense.
We’ll start with a rep that highlights a few of Jeanty’s biggest strengths.
Boise State runs duo, and he does a great job of setting up the safety (No. 1), who is crashing downhill and into the box post-snap, by pressing the outside. That keeps the safety wide and makes the tight end’s (No. 81) block easy, opening up the inside rushing lane.
Then, the other safety comes into the picture and has a one-on-one opportunity to make an open-field tackle against the Boise State product. However, Jeanty forces a missed tackle by kicking it into second gear, using a stiff arm and taking advantage of the open field by bouncing outside.
Finally, he caps the run off with another burst of speed to take it to the house for the 75-yard touchdown.
This next rep is pretty similar to the last one as the Broncos call another gap-scheme run that’s designed to hit up the middle.
Again, Jeanty sets the safety (No. 0) up perfectly and opens up the inside rushing lane by pressing the outside while in the backfield before cutting inside at the line of scrimmage. Also, he shows off the speed to run away from defenders for another long touchdown.
PFF credited the No. 6 overall pick with 36 ‘breakaway’ (15 yards or more) runs last season, the most in the country by four. He was also the only running back to record 1,000 yards or more on such carries, leading the position by over 500 yards. His ability to set up defenders, combined with his burst in the open field, is the primary reason for those numbers.
The Heisman Trophy runner-up became known for his ability to break tackles last season, forcing 152 missed tackles (via PFF). That was the most among running backs by nearly 50, and the rep above highlights how that can make a difference on a given play.
Boise State runs a lead zone and the left guard gets beaten by Jamaree Caldwell (a third-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers) immediately after the snap to get penetration in the backfield. However, Jeanty uses a stiff arm...
