Can Ashton Jeanty Handle a Christian McCaffrey-Type Workload?

INSIDE OTAs

The Raiders were back on the field this week for OTAs, and we finally got our first real look at how this roster is starting to come together under Klint Kubiak and Rob Leonard. In our latest podcast, I break down everything I saw from Raiders HQ, including why Kubiak calling Brock Bowers a “football robot from heaven” says a whole lot about how this marriage is already off to a great start. We also dive into early impressions of Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, why Mendoza’s accuracy keeps jumping off the page, what Jack Bech and Malik Benson showed, how Ashton Jeanty could be used as a true three-down weapon, and why Treydan Stukes already looks like a perfect fit defensively.

ASHTON THE NEXT CMC?

A couple things really stick out to me here.

For starters, Kubiak was asked about having a second back to spell Jeanty, and he basically balked at the idea of taking him off the field. That’s a stark contrast from the way the previous staff talked about Ashton last year. They made it sound like he’d essentially be on a pitch count, but Klint clearly wants to feed him the rock. That’s got to be a refreshing thing for Raiders fans to hear.

On top of that, he was asked if Tre Tucker reminded him of any of his former players (cough, Rashid Shaheed, cough), and he balked at naming anyone because he said it’s unfair to make comparisons. BUT, when it came to Jeanty, he had no problem throwing his name into the hat with Christian McCaffrey — and he did it unprompted.

That should tell you all you need to know about how he feels about Jeanty, even if they did add Mike Washington Jr. in the draft.

So let’s break it down. What would Christian McCaffrey-type usage look like for Ashton Jeanty?

For starters, how about snap count percentage? Looking at CMC’s career, if you average out his snap percentage across the seasons where he played at least 16 games, he was on the field for 81.1% of his team’s snaps, per Over The Cap. Last season, Jeanty was out there for 77.6% of the Raiders’ snaps.

That might not seem like a massive discrepancy, but when you realize Jeanty took 152 fewer snaps in the backfield alone, it starts to feel like a pretty big difference. Obviously some of that relates to the number of plays the 49ers ran compared to the Raiders. But we should still expect more opportunities in the backfield for him. We also can’t forget about CMC’s usage as a receiver.

Last season, McCaffrey took 115 snaps split out wide or in the slot. Overall, he finished the year with 102 catches on 124 targets for 924 yards and seven touchdowns. Jeanty’s usage as a receiver was much lighter. He lined up out wide or in the slot just 32 times and turned that, along with his other receiving opportunities out of the backfield, into 55 catches on 73 targets for 346 yards and five receiving touchdowns.

As a runner, Jeanty turned 266 carries into 975 yards behind a horrible offensive line and disjointed play-calling. Conversely, McCaffrey rushed for 1,202 yards on 45 more carries — nearly 17% more attempts. So I’d imagine we see Jeanty’s workload on the ground tick up a bit, especially with the way Kubiak wants to run the football.

But to me, the biggest increase in Jeanty’s usage will likely come in the passing game and with how often he’s split out as a receiver. We can’t forget that he led the NCAA in receiving yards by a running back his junior year at Boise State, and he was actually a slot receiver his junior year of high school. The receiving chops are there in his background to support the same kind of usage McCaffrey gets.

Now, we’re projecting here, and I’m not saying Jeanty is on McCaffrey’s level yet — let’s not get ahead of ourselves — but he absolutely has that kind of potential.

So basically, read between the lines on what Kubiak is saying: he wants Jeanty in the conversation for 300-plus carries and 100-plus opportunities in the passing game.

He’ll most definitely be their top rusher, but don’t be surprised if the Raiders’ top two pass catchers next season aren’t actually wide receivers. Brock and Jeanty are going to lead the charge on offense in every way possible this year.

REQUIRED READING

In this week’s required reading, we’re featuring an article from Tristan Kuhn of Silver and Black Pride. Tristan knows ball, and he put together one of the deepest dives you’ll find on the Raiders’ undrafted rookie free agents. He breaks down who these guys are, why the Raiders gave them a shot, and how realistic their chances are of making the roster. If you want the full rundown on some of the players we’ll be talking about throughout training camp, this is a great place to start.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

JACK BECH DEEP DIVE

Jack Bech has quietly become one of the more fascinating players on the Raiders’ roster heading into Year 2, and we took a deep dive into why on this week’s podcast with Matt Harmon from Yahoo Sports and Reception Perception. If you want the full football nerd breakdown on Bech, this is definitely one worth checking out.

SPEAKING OF BECH…

Matt and I dove into how it felt like the previous coaching staff just didn’t have a clear plan for Jack Bech. After watching one practice at OTAs this week, I don’t think that’s going to be the case anymore.

I broke this down further in our OTA recap episode linked at the top of the newsletter, but I wanted to highlight it here real quick. It’s worth noting that Jalen Nailor wasn’t at practice, and there’s a chance their skill sets overlap a bit. But with Nailor out for the day, Bech got a ton of work — and he looked good.

He showed off the strong hands he’s known for and looked like a player who can really feast on in-breakers and in the intermediate areas of the field, much like we saw him do in college and similar to how Cooper Kupp thrived in Seattle last year with Kubiak at the helm.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“FanShotz Friday”

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on game day.

This week, we’re featuring a shot Arnie snagged of Malik Benson fielding a punt at practice. His eyes might be closed, or he might just be peeking down to make sure he secured the ball. Either way, it’s a solid shot of a really intriguing weapon the Raiders added in the sixth round of this year’s draft. I’ve said it before, but I think he’s got more to his game than many people will give him credit for. He may be tagged as a speedster but he’s also not afraid to mix it up over the middle, either and I believe that’s one of the reasons Kubiak and company brought him into the fold. We’ll be keeping an eye on him for sure.

Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The weekend is here — and it’s a long one, too. Take a moment to pay your respects on Memorial Day and enjoy the extra time off with family and friends.

We’ll catch you back here next Tuesday with a new episode of the podcast dropping at 10 a.m. PT. I’m going to sit down with our guy Q Myers from Raider Nation Radio so we can take a big-picture look at where this team stands now that the dust has settled on free agency, the draft, and the rest of the offseason moves.

Catch ya next time,