Tom Brady, investors with stakes in the Las Vegas Raiders, and the entire fanbase are eagerly anticipating the best version of Ashton Jeanty in the NFL. There’s a strong desire to see their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft live up to the lofty projections of experts.
Ashton Jeanty and the Record Looming Over His NFL Debut
The former Boise State running back, Ashton Jeanty, is tasked with revitalizing a Raiders ground game that ranked dead last in the league last season.
He also has a shot at challenging a record untouched for the past 42 NFL seasons, set by Eric Dickerson.
In 1983, Dickerson, then with the Los Angeles Rams, established the rookie record for rushing yards, amassing 1,808 yards on 390 carries. Many have come close, but none have surpassed Dickerson’s mark.
Dickerson averaged 113 rushing yards per game across 16 games that season. For context, the Raiders‘ running backs averaged just 79.8 yards per game last year.
At Boise State, Jeanty racked up 2,601 rushing yards on 374 carries, though the leap from college football to the NFL is significant.
Analysts have weighed in on Jeanty‘s chances of breaking the record, with some even favoring him over Cam Ward’s odds of setting a new rookie record for touchdown passes.
“I’ll go with Jeanty for the rookie rushing record,” Rich Eisen said on The Rich Eisen Show. “I’ll always bet on a running back to make an impact over a quarterback, because we don’t know how Cam Ward will handle being a starting quarterback in the NFL.”
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