General NFL fans and Las Vegas Raiders fans alike were excited when the team took Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Jeanty was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy last year, a player who lit the college world on fire with his electric performances out of the backfield.
Many believed that he would come into the NFL and make an instant impact on the Raiders’ offense, that Pete Carroll’s schemes would perfectly accommodate his running style.
While he’s only played in two NFL games, some people have already expressed concern that he’s not getting a large enough workload, that the Raiders aren’t using him to the fullest of his abilities.
Through two games, Jeanty has had 30 rushing attempts for 81 yards, an average of 2.7 yards per carry, and he’s been targeted six times, catching five of those passes.
Jeanty’s efficiency hasn’t been what people expected, either, but he recently noted in an interview that he’s ready for an expanded role in this offense.
“I don’t think you draft a guy like me not to give me carries and touches,” Jeanty said, via reporter Jesse Merrick on X.
#Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty says he’s ready for the responsibility of more carries
“I don’t think you draft a guy like me to not give me carries and touches” pic.twitter.com/FLU8g9NWHk
— Jesse Merrick – Silver & Black Sports Network (@JesseSBSN) September 17, 2025
Jeanty hasn’t necessarily been outwardly frustrated with Carroll and the Raiders, but this conversation indicates that he wants to be given more opportunities to showcase what he can do.
The Raiders find themselves in an increasingly difficult AFC West division, so they’ll have to get creative and use their best players down the stretch if they want any chance of winning the division or making the playoffs.
It will be interesting to see if Jeanty’s usage will see an uptick after these comments and how Carroll will respond, if at all.
