Ashton Jeanty Talks Rookie NFL Season, Raiders' Culture and More in B/R Interview

Ashton Jeanty entered the NFL as a top-10 pick and a Heisman Trophy finalist who nearly set the NCAA record for rushing yards in a season.

But none of that hype mattered when he had his welcome-to-the-NFL moment as early as possible.

"I had it instantly on the first pad day of training camp," the Las Vegas Raiders running back told Bleacher Report. "We ran a little mid-zone to the left, and Elandon Roberts at linebacker came straight through the gap and knocked me right on my back. That was the first play. But I got up, finished the play and ran. But that was the welcome to the NFL. It happened instantly."

If nothing else, the play was something of a word of warning that putting up historic numbers against NFL defenses wasn't going to be quite as straightforward as it was at Boise State.

Jeanty's combination of enough speed to get around the edge and past linebackers, power on short-yardage situations, and elusiveness in the open field was nearly impossible for college defenses to contain.

He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting last season while taking home the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back and the Maxwell Award as the player of the year. He also led the Broncos to the Mountain West Conference title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Perhaps most impressively, he just missed Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season record of 2,628 rushing yards with 2,601.

Even in the age when running backs aren't necessarily seen as surefire first-round prospects, the Raiders saw more than enough to select Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick.

While it has been a little more difficult to rack up head-turning numbers against NFL defenses with a solid-but-unspectacular 445 rushing yards, 86 receiving yards and five total touchdowns through seven games, Jeanty was prepared for a learning curve.

"It's exactly what I thought it would be," he said. "High-level and more intense. But it's also been fun being able to learn and get adjusted and acclimated while seeing my growth with the team."

The flashes of potential have been on full display as well considering he tallied 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a game against the Chicago Bears as well as a touchdown in the win over the Tennessee Titans.

Those flashes that many expected are one reason there was so much preseason optimism in Las Vegas.

After all, it hired a Super Bowl champion head coach in Pete Carroll and a College Football Playoff national champion offensive coordinator in Chip Kelly to lead a group that included Jeanty in the backfield, Geno Smith at quarterback, and pass-catching weapons in Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers.

Throw in superstar pass-rusher Maxx Crosby spearheading the defensive efforts and a season-opening win over the New England Patriots, and expectations were soaring around the Raiders in early September.

But reality has since caught up.

Las Vegas lost four straight following the victory over the Patriots and then followed a win over the Titans with a 31-0 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While there aren't moral victories in the NFL, especially with division losses, Jeanty provided a silver lining by assuming a leadership role even as a rookie after the shutout.

"I don't work as hard as I do, and I don't think anybody else in this building does, to lose like that," he told reporters. "So, if we're being honest, it's been a losing culture around here for a long time. But we have to continue to work to fix that and bring winning back here."

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The Raiders haven't won a playoff game since the 2002 campaign and have just two postseason appearances during that span. In fact, they have just two winning seasons in that entire timeframe.

So how can they go about implementing the steps needed for the culture change Jeanty is looking for moving forward?

"The number one thing is to stay together through the hard times," he said. "We have to stay on the same page, 100 percent. We all have the same common goal, and that's winning. That starts with getting better with how we approach every single day so we can keep building."

When he isn't helping build a foundational culture for the Raiders, Jeanty is partnering with Applebee's along with Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to promote the restaurant's new ultimate trio, which lets fans mix and match three appetizers and sauces.

"It's been great," he said. "With Applebee's being the official grill and bar sponsor of the NFL, it was a great way to enter into the league. Obviously, food and football go together and I like to eat. So why not?"

He also knows exactly what to order.

"I like to do the new ultimate trio," Jeanty said. "I go with the crispy pickle fries, boneless wings and the chicken wonton tacos. You've gotta add the sauce, so go with the Mexi-Ranch and the Chipotle Lime Salsa."

Ideally for Jeanty, his Applebee's commercials can air during playoff games when the Raiders are participating.

That will be much easier said than done considering their 2-5 start and remaining games against potential contenders in the  Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Texans.

But there are still 10 games left, which gives them an opportunity to show why that preseason optimism was warranted and start building the foundation for the future with talented young players such as Jeanty and Bowers.

"We have a lot of great players, a lot of great pieces," the running back said. "We have some guys who have been injured who are coming back. I think we're going to arrive. It can only get better from where we've been. It was a tough start to the season, but we've learned a lot from it. We've learned a lot about ourselves. We're excited to attack the second half of the season and turn things around."

And the goal for the rest of his rookie season is as straightforward as possible.

"Win," Jeanty said. "Make the playoffs."