Ashton Jeanty is an unusually strong running back prospect – pick sixth in the draft. But on the other hand, he’s going to the team that last year ranked last in rushing, so we’ve got opposite forces working against each other.
It’s not something I’m too worried about. It was the 2024 Raiders, after all, who ranked last in rushing – not this year’s team. Las Vegas has a new coaching staff, a new scheme and a bunch of new players – including a quarterback. (And they’ve got Jeanty.)
Chip Kelly is the offensive coordinator now, and he’s got a strong history of putting together good running games. He had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers at Ohio State last year, and his work at UCLA was even more impressive.
I expect Jeanty will be just fine, getting lots of carries and doing good things.
But on this front, I figured I’d put together a chart showing the first-year numbers of some other rookie running backs who landed in less-than-desirable situations.
First we’ve got the last 18 running backs selected in the first three rounds who went to teams that ranked in the bottom 10 in rushing the previous year. All of these guys were drafted in the last 15 years.
I stuck with the first three rounds, so no Bucky Irving, who finished as the 15th-best running back last year despite joining a team that the previous year ranked last in rushing. Irving was a fourth-round pick.
RUNNING BACKS DRAFTED BY BOTTOM-10 RUNNING TEAMS | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Tm | G | Run | Rec | Tot | TD | PPR | Rk |
2018 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 27 | 16 | 1,307 | 721 | 2,028 | 15 | 385.8 | 2 |
2012 | Doug Martin, T.B. | 30 | 16 | 1,454 | 472 | 1,926 | 12 | 313.6 | 2 |
2021 | Najee Harris, Pitt. | 30 | 17 | 1,200 | 467 | 1,667 | 10 | 300.7 | 3 |
2015 | David Johnson, Ari. | 31 | 16 | 581 | 457 | 1,038 | 13 | 217.8 | 7 |
2012 | Trent Richardson, Cle. | 32 | 15 | 950 | 367 | 1,317 | 12 | 254.7 | 8 |
2013 | Eddie Lacy, G.B. | 23 | 15 | 1,178 | 257 | 1,435 | 11 | 244.5 | 8 |
2017 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 25 | 13 | 1,040 | 302 | 1,342 | 10 | 230.2 | 10 |
2020 | Antonio Gibson, Was. | 24 | 14 | 795 | 247 | 1,042 | 11 | 206.2 | 14 |
2019 | Miles Sanders, Phi. | 24 | 16 | 818 | 509 | 1,327 | 6 | 220.7 | 15 |
2013 | LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 26 | 13 | 860 | 399 | 1,259 | 8 | 218.9 | 15 |
2020 | D'Andre Swift, Det. | 25 | 13 | 521 | 357 | 878 | 10 | 193.8 | 16 |
2010 | Jahvid Best, Det. | 26 | 16 | 555 | 487 | 1,042 | 6 | 198.2 | 20 |
2019 | Josh Jacobs, Oak. | 28 | 13 | 1,150 | 166 | 1,316 | 7 | 193.6 | 21 |
2023 | DeVon Achane, Mia. | 28 | 11 | 800 | 197 | 997 | 11 | 192.7 | 25 |
2015 | Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 30 | 14 | 641 | 192 | 833 | 0 | 116.3 | 45 |
2011 | Mark Ingram, N.O. | 29 | 10 | 474 | 46 | 520 | 5 | 93.0 | 46 |
2010 | C.J. Spiller, Buff. | 25 | 14 | 283 | 157 | 440 | 2 | 80.0 | 55 |
2018 | Rashaad Penny, Sea. | 28 | 14 | 419 | 75 | 494 | 2 | 70.4 | 68 |
2025 | Ashton Jeanty, L.V. | 32 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
And next, we’ve got 10 running backs (again, all selected in the first three rounds). With these guys, they went to teams that ranked in the top 10 in rushing the previous year.
I don’t see huge differences between the lists. I think Jeanty’s a talent, and I expect he’ll be just fine.
RUNNING BACKS DRAFTED BY TOP-10 RUNNING TEAMS | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Tm | G | Run | Rec | Tot | TD | PPR | Rk |
2020 | Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 6 | 15 | 1,169 | 299 | 1,468 | 12 | 254.8 | 6 |
2023 | Bijan Robinson, Atl. | 4 | 17 | 976 | 487 | 1,463 | 8 | 252.3 | 8 |
2017 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 10 | 16 | 435 | 651 | 1,086 | 7 | 230.6 | 9 |
2023 | Jahmyr Gibbs, Det. | 9 | 15 | 945 | 316 | 1,261 | 11 | 244.1 | 10 |
2022 | Kenneth Walker, Sea. | 10 | 15 | 1,050 | 165 | 1,215 | 9 | 202.5 | 18 |
2019 | David Montgomery, Chi. | 9 | 16 | 889 | 185 | 1,074 | 7 | 174.4 | 24 |
2020 | J.K. Dobbins, Balt. | 1 | 15 | 805 | 120 | 925 | 9 | 168.5 | 24 |
2017 | Joe Mixon, Cin. | 9 | 14 | 626 | 287 | 913 | 4 | 145.3 | 33 |
2019 | Devin Singletary, Buff. | 10 | 12 | 775 | 194 | 969 | 4 | 149.9 | 33 |
2018 | Sony Michel, N.E. | 8 | 13 | 931 | 50 | 981 | 6 | 141.1 | 34 |
—Ian Allan