“It’s Exciting to Be Able to Have a Bunch of Stuff to Do”: Raiders Rookie Ashton Jeanty Talks About His Fresh Start in Vegas

When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they weren’t just making a statement signing — they were also plugging a massive hole in their offense. After finishing last in the league in rushing last season, averaging just 79.8 yards per game, the Raiders needed a spark. And in Jeanty, they’ve landed one of the most electrifying weapons in college football.

Coming off a staggering 2,601-yard, 30-touchdown campaign with Boise State, Jeanty arrives in Sin City with both sky-high expectations and calm composure. Unsurprisingly, this balance has already made waves inside the building.

At OTAs, center Jackson Powers-Johnson, during a recent media appearance, didn’t hold back in praising the rookie’s early performance. “He’s been doing so good. All the hype is real,” he said. “I’m super excited to block for the man.”

For the NFL rookie, however, the move from Boise to Las Vegas has been more than just a football transition; it’s a lifestyle shift too. And while some rookies might be overwhelmed, Jeanty is soaking it all in.

“I’ve been to Vegas for a few games,” he shared on the St. Brown Podcast, hosted by Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown, “but never just like, you know, touring.”

So what’s on Jeanty’s bucket list now that he’s living in the Entertainment Capital of the World?

“The food… like five-star restaurants. Entertainment,” he said. “Obviously there’s the Strip… They got UFC out there, so maybe go watch some matches and stuff like that. Just a lot of entertainment… coming from Boise State where there’s like not really much of that, it’s exciting to be able to, you know, have a bunch of stuff to do.”

And while Vegas is synonymous with casinos, slot machines, and blackjack tables, don’t expect to see the Raiders’ rookie testing his luck at the tables just yet.

“I don’t gamble,” Jeanty said flatly when asked by Amon-Ra. “I’ve never done it really.” Though he did admit he might dabble a little someday, but soon kept his stance clear: “Not too much though… I don’t like that.”

Off the field, he brings discipline. And on it, he brings sheer intensity. But that doesn’t mean he is a finished product. He had 11 career fumbles in CFB, something the Raiders coaches told Jeanty that they want to work on.

Even his unusual upright pre-snap stance came under the scanner lately, with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly wanting him to switch to a more traditional bent-knee stance.

Regardless, for Raiders management, the goal for the rookie superstar remains simple: elevate Jeanty to a Marshawn Lynch-type role — and who better than Pete Carroll to unlock that potential?