Good News: Raiders Emerge as the Perfect Fit for Ashton Jeanty
The Las Vegas Raiders have a difficult decision to make in the upcoming NFL draft with their high draft pick. With the trading for and extending Geno Smith’s contract, the Raiders are putting faith in their new quarterback to lead them to success.
At the very least, they’re hoping that all the new talent they’ve brought in will result in winning more than four games and avoiding a high draft pick in the future. On the bright side, they may have improved so much that they can make a playoff push next season.
However, this team still has a lot of positions that lack players with long-term implications, which means there’s an increased amount of pressure to make the right pick and have that player fit into what the Raiders are trying to build.
Ashton Jeanty is a player who’s been linked to the Raiders many times, with various websites claiming how much of a good fit he’d be with the Raiders. Sportswriters Douglas Clawson and Ryan McGrady agree with the majority in their latest article on CBS Sports.
“The fit is obvious as Las Vegas ranked dead last in rushing last season after Josh Jacobs departed in free agency. Plus, Jeanty is coming off one of the best seasons by a running back in college football history and has the power (FBS-best 170 forced missed tackles and 1,970 rush yards after contact last season) to mimic some of what made the Pete Carroll-led Seahawks so successful from 2010-15 when they ranked second in the NFL in rushing with Marshawn Lynch”.
The Raiders shouldn’t think twice about drafting Jeanty and revolutionizing their ground game, even if they signed veteran running back Raheem Mostert in free agency. Smith is a nice talent upgrade over Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew, but he isn’t a player they could rely their entire offensive identity on.
Jeanty would not only turn this team’s offensive identity around from one of the worst to one of the best running teams, but it would make life easier for Smith as when he was with the Seattle Seahawks, it felt as if he had to do everything for them to move the ball downfield.
