"He has the power of Emmitt, the balance of Barry." - Marcus Allen on Ashton Jeanty
When it comes to legendary running backs, surnames are not necessary. So when Marcus so easily drops such towering titular comps on the Raiders' first-round draft pick, the praise is real.
As is the pressure.
Comparisons are as inherently unfair to rookies entering the NFL as they are inevitable and yet…
Yes, Emmitt is NFL all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith and Barry is fellow Hall of Famer Barry Sanders. And Marcus, well, he's not hedging his praise.
This being Las Vegas, he's doubling down.
"Those are lofty names, but he's a guy who can get there," the Raiders Hall of Famer told Raiders.com of Jeanty.
"What he has, you can't teach. He has balance. He has vision. He's in complete control of his body. He can have an immediate impact and be another weapon."
All of which was exactly the idea when the new regime of General Manager John Spytek and Coach Pete Carroll used the No. 6 overall pick on the Heisman Trophy runner-up from Boise State.
Last fall, Jeanty led the nation with 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns and came within 28 yards of breaking Sanders' 36-year-old single-season rushing record.
Yes, the 5-foot-8, 211-pound Jeanty had a fan in Marcus, who would often text and call him with messages of encouragement and advice.
Such as picking out music to play in his head when he needed affirmation or inspiration.
"Every good hero has a theme song," Marcus laughed.
No wonder Marcus beamed as he yelled "Deuce!" at Jeanty when he came across him in the team dining room last Friday afternoon at team headquarters, "Deuce" being Jeanty's nickname as well as his uniform number in college.
"You have no idea how happy I am," Marcus told Jeanty as he pulled him in for a hug.
Imagine Jeanty's response, then, when, after connecting with Marcus, he was then greeted by Jim Plunkett and Fred Biletnikoff.
Yes, the Raiders' two other Super Bowl MVPs, all three of whom grabbed Jeanty for a photo shoot on the indoor facility's practice field.
Marcus whispered, "He could be the fourth."
As in, the fourth Raiders Super Bowl MVP.
Pressure? No doubt, but it comes with the territory for Jeanty.
As Plunkett put it, a running back - a quality running back - is a quarterback's best friend.
"If he's picking up yards on first and second down, that makes for shorter third downs," Plunkett said. "He'll make the job easier for the quarterback, set up play-action."
Biletnikoff, meanwhile, rattled off names of running backs he played with in his Hall of Fame career. Guys like Mark van Eeghen, Pete Banaszak, Clem Daniels, Marv Hubbard and Charlie Smith.
"If he can catch passes," Biletnikoff said of Jeanty, "that will open things up for a receiver downfield. Defenses have be aware of those guys that can catch the ball coming out of the backfield."
Marcus, who caught 67 passes in his 1985 NFL MVP season, agreed.
"He's going to make it easier on 89," he said, referencing First-Team All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers.
Jeanty did catch 80 passes in three seasons at Boise State, but more than half of them came in 2023. He had just 23 receptions last season.
Still, Jeanty was drafted to be, as he referred to himself, "a rolling ball of knives" when he's running the ball.
Oh to be a fly on the wall when Jeanty was chopping it up with left tackle Kolton Miller, Owner Mark Davis, Carroll, Spytek and Marcus after meeting Plunkett and Biletnikoff in the dining room.
Talk about an impressionable first day of work.
Through it all, Jeanty smiled a weary but excited smile.
And Marcus looked like a proud mentor.
"I found him to be a person of humility despite everything that's been thrown at him," Marcus said. "It's easy to lose that.
"I wanted him to break [Barry's] record because of the person he is."
And maybe one day, Jeanty will get that singular name treatment and simply be known as Ashton. Like Emmitt, and Barry and, yes, Marcus.
View photos from Las Vegas Raiders 2025 first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty's first day in Las Vegas.
Signage welcoming first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with Head Coach Pete Carroll as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with General Manager John Spytek as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with General Manager John Spytek and Head Coach Pete Carroll as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with alumnus Marcus Allen at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with alumni Marcus Allen, Jim Plunkett and Fred Biletnikoff at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with alumni Marcus Allen, Jim Plunkett and Fred Biletnikoff and running backs coach DeLand McCullough at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders General Manager John Spytek with running back Ashton Jeanty during a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll and General Manager John Spytek with running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll with running back Ashton Jeanty during a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty and his family pose for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty and his agents pose for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty and his agent pose for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
