Rookie first-round pick Ashton Jeanty has been as good as advertised for the Las Vegas Raiders. This is why he’s already penciled in as the team’s starting running back.
However, there’s a bit of a battle for who his backup will be. Zamir White has impressed head coach Pete Carroll, so his roster spot should be safe, but it’s unclear who will be RB3. Raheem Mostert is a savvy veteran who was a Pro Bowler a couple of seasons ago. Sincere McCormick looked promising for the team last season before an injury ended his year, and Dylan Laube is an intriguing young player.
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal put together a roster prediction and has Jeanty, White, McCormick and Laube making the final cut. Mostert would be the odd man out.
“White has impressed the coaching staff and is leading the charge to be Jeanty’s primary backup,” Bonsignore wrote. “That could make Mostert, a veteran free-agent signing, expendable. McCormick and Laube are both younger than Mostert and can contribute on special teams.”
Mostert is a good player, but Jeanty is going to be seeing the ball the majority of the time. The RB3 isn’t going to see the field a ton, so the Raiders may prefer a player who can make more of an impact on special teams like Laube.
Carroll Previously Praised Mostert
The Raiders already have a very young roster, so keeping an older player like Mostert around could make some sense. It also helps that Carroll previously spoke very highly of him.
“They’re gonna show us that when they get the chance to compete,” Carroll said. “I love having multiple guys play. I’m not relying on one guy. Thunder and Lightning back in the day, whatever it takes to get it done. We’re going to let the guys play for their play time. Raheem, I love having him. He’s an experienced guy, he’s been a great speedster for years. We’ve defended him for years and he’s been a nightmare for us.”
Now, the Raiders could release Mostert because they would likely be able to get him back on the practice squad, where a player like McCormick or Laube could get claimed by another team.
Jeanty Talks Expectations
Jeanty isn’t going to get the benefit of the doubt much in his rookie season. The expectations are sky high for him. Many believe he could be an All-Pro-level player as a rookie.
Jeanty isn’t running away from those expectations.
“Yeah, I mean you do want expectations, but at the same time you can’t listen to all that noise that outside noise,” Jeanty told FOX5. “You got to come in this building and understand the mission and what everybody’s trying to accomplish on the team. You can’t worry about any of that other stuff. It’ll take care of itself. I’m grateful to be in this position, but at the same time, I don’t really worry about any of that. I just worry about being the best version of myself every day.”
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