Ashton Jeanty ready to roll with the Raiders

HENDERSON, Nev. — Ashton Jeanty appears ready to take that next big step.

The former Boise State star running back is now in the NFL and the Las Vegas Raiders are thrilled to have him. He’s equally thrilled to be a Raider.

“I want to be a great asset to this team and be a great teammate,” he said Friday as he held his introductory news conference at the Intermountain Health Performance Center.  

Taken by the Raiders Thursday with the No. 6 overall pick, Jeanty admitted it’s been a bit of a whirlwind since his bro hug with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. There’ve been interviews, celebrating with his family and friends, hopping on a plane from Wisconsin to Las Vegas and meeting with owner Mark Davis, general manager John Spytek, head coach Pete Carroll, the assistant coaches and some of his new teammates.

He also got to meet with some Raiders royalty, getting some time with Jim Plunkett, Fred Biletnikoff and Marcus Allen, the team’s three Super Bowl MVPs. But Jeanty handled everything in stride.

“Yeah, I'm excited to be here, but yeah, it's been a pretty crazy 24 hours,” he said. “Not much sleep, but just a lot of excitement, celebrating with my family. And I mean last night I was pretty much up the whole night just thinking about what a great honor it is to be a Raider.

“It's a privilege to be in this space and to be a first-round pick. That's what I've worked to do, and I'm excited for that. I want that type of pressure on me and that type of expectation, and I'm just ready to go to work and prove why they took a chance on me."

If you’ve seen Jeanty play, a couple things should stick in your mind. One, he’s got an innate ability to extend plays with his legs. He is tough to bring down in the open field. Two, he’s a durable sort. He takes care of his body and while he’s only 5-foot-9, he’s built rock solid and at 210 pounds, he’s got a low center of gravity, much like one of heroes, Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, had when he played.

“Somebody said I was a rolling ball of knives,” Jeanty said when asked about his style of play. “That’s my favorite description.”

He’s also competitive. Which will serve him well as Carroll looks to instill a culture change with the Raiders. When Jeanty visited with the team prior to the draft, there was a basketball shooting contest that Carroll held for the visiting players. Jeanty said Carroll told them how we like to compete here and when Jeanty won the contest, that was like picking up Brownie points of sorts with Carroll.

“I think that sealed the deal,” he joked.

That and his love of the game. He spent part of his childhood growing up in Italy while his father was serving in the navy and over there, they play futbol, not football. But when his dad was reassigned and returned to the U.S., the family settled in Texas, which is real football country and his learning curve on the game grew exponentially.

“I’ve always loved to play,” said Jeanty, who envisioned himself as a slot receiver before becoming a running back. “But I think my games translates well and I hope to get opportunities to catch the ball and contribute (with the Raiders).”

You can count on it. It’s going to help Geno Smith to have another weapon to work with. It will likely open things up for guys like Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. And the offensive line is going to enjoy blocking for Jeanty.

At Boise State, Jeanty was used to being the focus of opposing defenses. In the NFL, he may find himself less of the center of attention though he’ll be facing a higher quality of opponent.

“Yeah, just taking my preparation to the next level,” said Jeanty, who averaged 185.8 yards as a junior at BSU, scored 29 touchdowns and amassed an NCAA-best 2,601 yards last season. “Preparing for what defensive attacks we're going to get, how we're going to attack them as an offense. And I think most importantly, taking care of my body right. Just being available to take 30 carries each and every week and understanding that it's me vs. 11. Once the ball snaps, there's 11 guys coming after me. So, just having that mentality that nobody's going to take me down."