The Las Vegas Raiders likely won’t reach the NFL playoffs this season. But they do have some real hope for the future thanks to two young studs.
Tight end Brock Bowers had a stellar first season in the league in 2024 and posted 112 catches, 1,194 yards and five touchdowns while being named to both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro First Team. This year, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty is poised to show off his star potential.
He had a burst of star-level play against the San Francisco 49ers in a preseason game on Aug. 16, especially when he put together a 13-yard run during which he completely overpowered 49ers stud cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
Read more: Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty Puts NFL on Notice After Breakout Preseason Performance
While many see the potential for greatness in Jeanty, Fox Sports personality Skip Bayless sees the potential for disaster. He said in an Instagram post that Jeanty’s style of play isn’t sustainable.
“This young man won’t last that long in this league at this level trying to run over any and everyone who gets in his way… It just won’t last.”
Bayless’ point is that Jeanty seems to make a statement by running through defenders and looking to initiate physicality. That may work well for some other tailbacks, but when one is 5-foot-8, as Jeanty is, it may be an unwise idea.
The commentator brought up Ezekiel Elliott, who is four inches taller, and how Elliott also looked to run through opponents. As a rookie, he recorded 1,631 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry, but starting the following season, his yards per carry average started to gradually drop year by year.
On the other hand, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, who wasn’t much larger than Jeanty, was, as Bayless called him, “the ultimate escape artist” and looked to avoid collisions when possible. As a result, Smith continued to go over 1,000 rushing yards a season well past his 30th birthday.
Read more: Raiders Urged to Not Trade For Potential-Laden Young Quarterback
At Boise State University, Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns while averaging seven yards per carry. Despite his smaller frame, he is powerful and explosive, and he has a tendency to break tackles and is hard to bring down.
But if Bayless is correct in his assessment, Jeanty will have to alter his rushing style as time goes on in order to help ensure that he will be able to play at a high level for more than a few years.
Ever since getting to the Super Bowl during the 2002 season, the Raiders have made the playoffs only twice. Their zealous fans are starving for some type of success, and Jeanty simply has too much potential to be wasted as a result of putting himself in harm’s way too often.
For more on the Raiders and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
The post Skip Bayless Says Prominent First-Round Draft Pick ‘Won’t Last Long in the NFL’ appeared first on Newsweek.
