Ashton Jeanty’s Rookie Campaign Hits Rough Patch with 3.1 Yards Per Carry Average

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty has yet to resemble the player the organization envisioned when they selected him sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Following Sunday’s defeat to the Rams, where Jeanty managed just 15 yards on eight attempts, his season totals stand at 106 carries for 328 yards—a meager 3.1-yard average. Among running backs with comparable workloads, no one posts a lower figure.

The inefficiency cannot be attributed solely to schematic issues or poor blocking. Fellow rookie Mike Washington, a fourth-round selection, is averaging a healthy 4.9 yards per carry behind the same offensive line.

A low per-carry average might be acceptable if Jeanty were converting difficult short-yardage situations, but he is not. He has recorded only 15 rushing first downs; every other back with at least 90 carries has more. Additionally, Jeanty has found the end zone just once on the ground.

One encouraging sign is his work as a receiver. In Sunday’s loss, he caught all eight targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. For the season, he has 34 receptions for 312 yards and three receiving scores.

Jeanty insisted after the game that he remains undeterred.

“It’s a long season, we’ve got a lot of football left, so regardless of what it looks like, we’ve got to keep working, keep getting better, no matter what it looks like,” Jeanty said.

For now, the tape shows a highly touted rookie falling well short of expectations.

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