Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Jeanty is being mentored by former running back Marshawn Lynch and is playing for Lynch’s former coach, Pete Carroll.
The Raiders drafted Jeanty to improve a rushing attack that was the worst in the NFL last season.
HENDERSON, NV – The pregame meal is the same every gameday for Las Vegas rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty’s tradition is to eat egg whites with spinach and preferably watermelon and blackberries as fruit. If he’s feeling extra hungry, he’ll indulge in some French toast. When the Raiders have a primetime game like Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jeanty will have some pasta for lunch.
Enough protein and carbs to take on the load of being the Raiders’ feature running back.
By the time Jeanty takes the field for pregame warmups, he’s ready to go and fired up.
Well, actually, the former and not the latter. Jeanty prefers to go into a game calm.
“I’m a gospel guy these days. It used to be rap,” Jeanty told USA TODAY Sports in an exclusive interview. “I like to just be kind of more calm. I feel like rap kind of gets me too over the top, ready to crash out. I just need to chill before the game.”
Jeanty’s pregame music choice is fitting because it’s almost like divine intervention that he landed with the Raiders at the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
Jeanty’s grew up watching running back Marshawn Lynch when he starred for the Seattle Seahawks for then head coach Pete Carroll. Fast forward to now, Carroll is head coach of the Raiders, Jeanty is his star in the backfield and Lynch is a mentor figure for the rookie.
“Following the footsteps of lguys like Marshawn. He’s been around,” Jeanty said. “He’s been giving me advice.”
Furthermore, the Raiders selection of Jeanty was a full-circle moment for his agents Al Beglinger and Henry Organ of Disruptive Sports. Beglinger and Organ are Bay Area natives and lifelong Raiders fans.
“The first picture in my life as a baby was wrapped in a Raiders blanket,” Beglinger recalled to USA TODAY Sports.
To put the icing on the cake, Jeanty is the two agents’ first ever first-round pick.
“We had to keep our composure and keep our cool,” Organ said to USA TODAY Sports. “Like this is crazy. Our first first round draft pick is a Las Vegas Raider…We were like, ‘Wow, what are the odds to that.’”
Jeanty is fresh off a final collegiate season at Boise State in which he amassed 2,601 rushing yards, the second-highest single-season rushing total in FBS history. A rushing output that earned him the right to be a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Statistics and accolades that made him an ideal fit in Las Vegas.
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The Raiders had a massive need at running back prior to the 2025 draft. Las Vegas had the worst rushing attack in the NFL last season. The franchise hasn’t had a running back eclipse 1,000 rushing yards since Josh Jacobs in 2022. Las Vegas paltry ground game is why many mock drafts predicted Jeanty would wind up in Silver and Black.
“The run game wasn’t very explosive last year or in the past few years, so I think that’s why they really made the commitment to get me. Get a guy who can make big plays and really get the run game rolling,” Jeanty said. “It’s a big deal, honestly, just that they have that belief in me. That gives me all the confidence in the world. Whether things are going good or bad, that you know this organization, everybody around has trust in me, and brought me here specifically for that reason.”
Jeanty already reached the end zone for the first time in his NFL career in a 20-13 Week 1 win against the New England Patriots.
“I’m so excited for him,” Raiders quarterback Geno Smith said. “Just as he grows throughout his career, throughout the season, all the experiences.”
Jeanty’s got bigger goals in mind, though. He hopes he can contribute to the Raiders achieving more team success. The Raiders have finished below .500 the past three seasons, and the franchise hasn’t earned a playoff berth since 2021.
If Jeanty helps the Raiders get to the postseason and he surpasses 1,000 yards rushing along the way, he might have some NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year hardware, too.
His pregame traditions are a sign he’s prepared for the challenge.
“It’s definitely possible,” a smiling Jeanty said. “It’s definitely something I want to win for sure.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.