Add The California Post on Google After being selected sixth overall in last year’s NFL draft, expectations for Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty were sky-high. And why not?
Fresh off a breathtaking career at Boise State, where he torched defenses for 2,601 yards during a spectacular junior season, his dynamic skill set seemed tailor-made for the NFL.
It didn’t translate. Not even close. Yes, Jeanty finished with 975 rushing yards, but his 3.7 yards per carry told the real story. A back too often met in the backfield, with little room to operate and even fewer chances to find a rhythm.
By season’s end, Jeanty’s top-10 draft status wasn’t just being second-guessed, it was being openly challenged. The dreaded “bust” label had already started to creep into the conversation.
Take a breath. Jeanty is going to be just fine. More than that, he might be the least of their concerns. History suggests something far more compelling is in play, the kind of turnaround that flips the entire narrative.
Look no further than former Rams star Todd Gurley.
His leap from 2016 to 2017 wasn’t about suddenly becoming a better running back overnight. It was about everything around him finally catching up to his talent.
In 2016, Gurley was stuck behind a subpar offensive line, operating in a stale, predictable system that gave him little chance to succeed. The numbers reflected it: 885 rushing yards on 278 carries — a pedestrian 3.2 yards per attempt — along with 43 catches for 327 yards. Sound familiar?
At the time, even in Los Angeles, there were whispers: Was Gurley a bust?
One year later, the answer was emphatic. Gurley exploded for 1,305 rushing yards and added 788 through the air, all while carrying the ball just one more time than the year before.
The Rams moved on from defensive-minded head coach Jeff Fisher and handed the offense to a rising playcaller in Sean McVay.
They fortified the offensive line with veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth and brought in respected line coach Aaron Kromer. They upgraded the skill talent, adding wide receiver Robert Woods in free agency and Cooper Kupp in the draft. They handed the quarterback reins to Jared Goff, whom they selected first overall in the 2016 draft.
The result? A system, a structure and a supporting cast that finally unlocked what was already there.
If that sounds like a blueprint, it’s because it is.
And the Raiders followed it, almost beat for beat.
Pete Carroll is out. Klint Kubiak is in, a rising offensive mind with a proven track record, and a system built to create space, rhythm and production. He didn’t come alone, either, bringing respected offensive line coach Rick Dennison and longtime offensive lieutenant Andrew Janocko with him.
Tyler Linderbaum is now the highest-paid center in football, a clear bet on stability up front. Left tackle Kolton Miller is healthy again after essentially losing last season.
Tight end Brock Bowers, who battled through a season-long knee injury, has looked electric in training camp and is set up to match the record-breaking numbers he posted as a rookie in 2024.
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With the first overall pick, the Raiders landed Indiana Heisman winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza, a quarterback capable of changing the math for everyone. If he needs time, Kirk Cousins can steady things early. Either way, the offense has direction.
And if history holds, it’s exactly the kind of shift that turns a “disappointing” back into a dominant one.
That’s not to say Jeanty won’t improve on his own. He will. That’s what good players do between Year 1 and Year 2. The game slows down. The reads get cleaner. The body catches up to the speed of it all.
The story is everything around him finally making sense.
A scheme that fits. A playcaller who knows how to use him. A passing-game role that should only grow after a 55-catch, 356-yard rookie season — and frankly, it would be surprising if those numbers didn’t jump.
Still, Jeanty’s impact starts on the ground. And Kubiak’s edge-focused run game is tailor-made for a back with his burst and vision. Stress the perimeter, force defenses to flow, then cut them apart.
“I feel like I can run in any scheme, but this one’s especially great,” Jeanty said. “Running the wide zone, really stretching the defense, then hitting them with inside zone and play-action. Everything ties together.”
By February, don’t be surprised if Jeanty’s name is in the Offensive Player of the Year conversation.
