Indeed, Ashton Jeanty was widely considered the top running back in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Boise State star helped shine a spotlight on a position devalued in recent years. His speed and elusiveness made him a can’t-miss prospect.
Still, it was a surprise when the Las Vegas Raiders used the sixth overall pick on him. With such a deep running back class, most analysts expected the Raiders to target an edge rusher or offensive tackle early and find a back later in the draft.
The pick signaled that Las Vegas planned to build its offense around Jeanty and emphasize the run game. That’s why comments made this week by head coach Pete Carroll caught many off guard.
Raiders’ Pete Carroll Unveils Surprising Plan for Ashton Jeanty
According to NFL.com, Carroll was asked about Jeanty in a recent press conference. Carroll, who won a Super Bowl while coaching the Seattle Seahawks, said they plan to implement a running back by committee approach. Carroll has done this before, although he hasn’t always had an elite talent like Jeanty.
“I love having multiple guys play,” Carroll told reporters Thursday after mandatory minicamp. “I’m not relying on one guy, you know.”
Jeanty joins a running back room with newly acquired free agent Raheem Mostert, Zamir White, and Sincere McCormick.
Carroll said that how the workload is divided among the backs in the room will be determined by their performance.
“They’re gonna show us that, you know,” Carroll added, “when they get their chance to compete.”
While at Boise, Jeanty was “The Guy” and carried most of the offense on his back. In his junior year, he ran for 2,601 yards, nearly twice what he had in his sophomore season. He also more than doubled the number of touchdowns with 29 in 2024.
Ashton Jeanty will obviously be RB1 but I’m real interested to see how the carry share gets spread out between him and Raheem Mostert
Let’s not forget Mostert is only two seasons removed from an 18 TD season #Raiders pic.twitter.com/FF2M8u1SIo
— Jesse Merrick (@JesseNews3LV) June 12, 2025
The Raiders desperately need help with their run game, which was last in the league in 2024 with only 1,357 yards. Jeanty and Mosert could provide that one-two punch that Vegas needs.
Raiders’ Carroll Confirms Confidence in Jeanty
Carroll told the media that this decision is just standard operating procedure for one of his teams. It is not a result of his not believing in Jeanty. Jeanty has met or exceeded every expectation.
“Ashton looks every bit what we had hoped he would look like,” Carroll explained. “He caught the ball really well, he understood stuff, took everything really seriously, gave terrific effort throughout. And we made a big deal to him, everybody’s watching you, you know, and he embraced the thought of it. So, it’s going to be exciting to see what happens.”
It will be interesting to watch this new Raiders offense and see if Jeanty pulls away from the pack or if he is forced to share reps all season.