Q&A with Ashton Jeanty on playing football overseas, connecting with fans and more

Jul 26, 2025 at 01:30 PM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

As the Raiders' 2025 draft picks go through their first NFL training camp, Raiders.com's Levi Edwards is sitting down with each player for a Q&A.

First up is none other than first-round pick and Heisman Trophy runner-up, Ashton Jeanty.

Levi Edwards: Coming from a military family, you played football in Naples, Italy, as a teenager. How did that experience mold you as a football player?

Ashton Jeanty: "With the aspect of traveling, over there an away game is really an away game. You're not just going 30 minutes over to the next high school, we're flying across the waters to Spain or driving 18 hours to Germany. I think taking care of your body, hydrating so you can be be prepared to play the next day [is important].

LE: What were some of the cooler experiences that came from living in Italy?

AJ: "Really just being a tourist every day. Obviously I lived out there, but just traveling, seeing new things every day, seeing different places. Learning a different culture, even a little bit of a new language. Don't ask me to speak Italian though."

LE: You have a big social media presence on TikTok (924.7K followers). You show a different side of yourself to your fans on that platform, why do you believe that's important?

AJ: "I feel like that's everything to me. Social media or not, I feel like I show who I am as person to everyone so they can connect with you more. A lot of these fans, they love football but they can't relate to the practices or scoring touchdowns. Some of them have never done that. But they can relate to me dancing or me talking about my dog or just anything in life. I feel it's good for the fans to be able to connect with me in that way."

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— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 24, 2025

LE: Was it hard for you to put yourself out there like that or did it come naturally?

AJ: "It's always hard at first because you worry about what other people will think, but I think the best thing you can do is be authentic in who you are. And if people don't like you, they just won't like you. But if people love who you are, they love who you are."

LE: What have been some of your favorite things to do in Las Vegas so far?

AJ: "I've enjoyed the food for sure. There's a lot of good places to eat. There's this good Thai food spot out here, Lotus of Siam. I really like to eat a lot of different cultures' foods so there's definitely a lot of that here."

LE: Have you had a starstruck moment being in the NFL so far?

AJ: "Overall, it's just every day seeing different guys like Maxx Crosby, even Geno Smith, Jamal Adams being at training camp. These are all different guys I've watched and it's amazing being able to play with them now."

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Las Vegas Raiders signage before practice at 2025 Training Camp at Intermountain Health Performance Center.