Film room: What does Jeanty bring to Raiders’ offense?

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 and runs through Caldwell’s arm tackle to avoid getting brought down in the backfield.

Then, Jeanty shows off some power by lowering his shoulder against Jeffrey Bassa (a fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs) to break another tackle, while also staying on balance through contact from Derrick Harmon (the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick). Finally, he has the speed to capitalize and turn what should have been a tackle for loss into a roughly 30-yard gain.

This rep should get Raider Nation fired up, seeing as the team’s first-round pick broke tackles from two future AFC West foes and a Steeler. That’s a sign that Jeanty wasn’t meant to wear the silver and black!

We’ll get a similar rep here, only this one highlights Jeanty’s contact balance on the way to the end zone.

Again, the offensive line gives up penetration, so there’s a defender in the backfield right as he gets the ball. He adjusts by slightly altering his path into the other A-gap to force an arm tackle and break another tackle attempt from Bassa.

Immediately after, Jeanty gets spun around by contact from the defensive tackle and safety, but never loses balance. That allows him to keep his feet moving and stay on his path before fighting through a couple more tackle attempts and putting six points on the board.

For good measure, let’s dive into one more example of the Boise State product’s ability to break tackles.

The biggest difference with this rep is that it starts with a bad snap, which throws off the timing in the backfield. That has the makings for a botched handoff, but Jeanty adjusts and seamlessly stays on his path to burst through the hole.

From there, he runs through a weak arm tackle and puts a move on the safety while showing off that stiff arm again to break another tackle. Finally, he comes to balance and lowers his shoulder before another tackle attempt, tacking on about five yards after contact.

Once again, a play that could have been disastrous from the offense turns into a positive gain that moves the chains.

Finally, you might have noticed this in the reps above, the No. 6 overall pick has impressive vision to find the optimal rushing lane.

The Broncos run a pin-and-pull concept to the wide side of the field, which is designed to be an outside run. UNLV’s linebacker (No. 8) is quick to read the play and flow outside, but Jeanty sets the backer up, like a few of the examples seen above, and recognizes that the backer overpursues.

Then, he finishes the run by stemming inside to make No. 63’s block on the safety easier and gets back outside to pick up the first down. To make this play even better, it comes late in the game and helps seal the Mountain West Championship for Boise State.

Overall, the Raiders got a running back who immediately improves their rushing attack with his ability to set up blocks, find rushing lanes and break tackles to turn something out of nothing.