Ashton Jeanty proving he can handle life in the NFL

LAS VEGAS — For someone who has played all of a handful of minutes in two preseason games, Ashton Jeanty looks fairly comfortable as an NFL running back.

The Boise State All-American who the Las Vegas Raiders selected at No. 6 overall in the NFL Draft back in late April, is playing with a proverbial boulder on his shoulder, looking to silence his critics and prove he was worthy of being selected where he was.

Saturday at Allegiant Stadium, Jeanty was making the most of his touches, running around and over defenders of the San Francisco 49ers in the second of the Raiders’ three preseason games. He’s the starting running back on the team’s depth chart and he is acclimating himself quite nicely to the pro game.
 
He had seven carries for 33 yards, including a 13-yard run in a game the 49ers ultimately prevailed in, 22-19, thanks to Jake Moody’s 59-yard field goal on the game’s final play. He also scored a touchdown on a 1-yard burst, losing possession of the ball in the process. But he had broken the plane of the goal line so the TD counted.

There were also two plays that saw him tested for toughness. The first came when 49ers linebacker Tatum Bethune lowered the boom on Jeanty after he hauled in a pass from Geno Smith in the flat. Jeanty bounced right back up as if it were nothing.

The second came later in the quarter as he took on Niners defensive back Deommodore Lenoir in a head-on collision during a sweep. Lenoir took the worst of it while Jeanty skipped back to the huddle.

“He definitely hit me pretty hard,” Jeanty said of the collision with Bethune. “But I didn’t go down so I felt like I won that one.”

Toughness? Don’t even question it with this guy. He’s a born football player. He’ll handle whatever the opposition can dish out.

“Jeanty looked tough as hell and he made some really nice plays,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said of his rookie running back. “He bounced back from a really big hit. I don’t know if the other guy did. But it was impressive, I thought.”

How much we’ll see of Jeanty and the rest of the starters next week in Glendale when the Raiders (0-1-1) go up against the Cardinals figures to be minimal. Jeanty gets to go against Maxx Crosby and the Raider defense every day in practice. That’s better than anything the Cards can throw at him. But what he did inside Allegiant Stadium Saturday made you sit up and take notice. And the Raiders fans had to like what they saw of their new running back.

“I think I’m dealing with it well,” he said of the physicality of the NFL. “I’m going up against linebackers like Devin White in practice every day, our defense as a whole. So I’m getting used to it for sure.”

He’s won praise from his teammates for his competitiveness, his ability to quickly learn from his mistakes and the work ethic he brings in everything related to football.

“It’s a matter of continuing to build a relationship with those guys and gain their trust,” he said of his teammates. “It takes time as a rookie to gain that confidence.”

He definitely made his presence felt Saturday. And it should be fun to watch what Jeanty gets to do for four quarters starting Sept. 7 at New England when the regular season kicks off.

“Being able to play a full game, get to the fourth quarter and wear a defense down,” Jeanty said. “I’m looking forward to making big-time plays for this team."