The Las Vegas Raiders selected Ashton Jeanty sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft hoping he would transform their running game, but 25 games into his career the team is leaning on fourth-round rookie Mike Washington Jr. instead. In Week 8 against the New York Jets, Jeanty managed just two carries for nine yards while Washington carried 25 times for 83 yards. Jeanty's workload has dropped every week, from 23 carries in Week 1 to two in Week 8, and first-year coach Klint Kubiak — who was not with the team when Jeanty was drafted — has shown no obligation to keep him on the field.
In Arizona, the Cardinals' third-overall pick Jeremiyah Love has also disappointed. The highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley in 2018, Love has gained 268 rushing yards with one touchdown in six games, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. He is now headed to injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, his second ankle injury of the season.
Historical data underscores the risk of investing top-10 picks at running back. Among 53 first-round backs drafted from 2000 to 2023, only 54.7% reached 3,000 scrimmage yards in their first three seasons, 11 hit 4,000 yards, and just seven surpassed 5,000. Meanwhile, later-round picks such as Alvin Kamara (third round), Nick Chubb (second round), and Derrick Henry (second round) have often outperformed their higher-drafted peers at a fraction of the salary-cap cost.
Jeanty's four-year rookie deal is worth approximately $35.9 million ($9 million per year), while Love's contract totals roughly $53 million ($13.3 million annually). Neither player has yet delivered the offensive impact their teams envisioned, raising the perennial question: how exceptional must a running back be to justify a premium draft pick when elite tackles, pass rushers, or quarterbacks are available?
