Raiders report: Ashton Jeanty drops weight in hopes of adding speed

Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has always possessed plenty of speed to go with his trademark ability to run through and around tacklers on his way to big rushing totals.

He believes he can be even faster.

The first-round pick shed some pounds ahead of his first NFL season with that mission in mind.

“I’ve definitely been focused on my weight and my diet, coming in a bit lighter just so I can have more speed and be more explosive,” he said Thursday after practice at the team facility in Henderson.

It was one part of Jeanty’s plan to prepare himself for the rigors of his first NFL season at one of the league’s most physically demanding positions.

The former Boise State star quickly realized being a professional meant the opportunity to get even more laser-focused on his craft.

“I think for me, that’s what’s most exciting,” he said. “You can become the best version of yourself. You don’t have schoolwork to do and all that. You can devote all the time you want to the game of football. And this game, you get what you put in. So, I’m grateful for that and I’m going to keep putting in and getting out great things.”

His teammates and coaches have credited Jeanty with putting in all the necessary work to live up to his lofty draft status as one of the earliest running backs selected in the last decade of the draft.

He has particularly showcased his receiving ability, and even though there are no pads or live hitting just yet, he’s been hard at work at understanding concepts in the passing game and his role in protections.

Of course, everyone knows what he can do with the ball in his hands. He wants to make sure there’s no physical limit to how many times he can carry it after absorbing a massive workload last year in college.

“It starts right now, taking care of my body: hot tub, cold tub, the right diet, nutrition, getting enough sleep at night,” he said. “Just everything I can do to keep myself on the field and be accountable for my teammates.”

They are expecting big things out of him and his own expectations could be even higher. Jeanty expects to jump-start a run game that couldn’t get out of neutral last season and finished at the bottom of the league. He believes the run game is vital to what the team wants to get accomplished on offense.

“I say it’s like a car and it’s got the engine,” he said. “We want to run the ball, so I’m going to try my best to make this offense run. We’ve got great receivers, great tight ends, a great quarterback, and it’ll start with the run game.”

Play of the day

The second day of training camp was more steady than spectacular, though Jakobi Meyers made some nice grabs downfield.

Isaiah Pola-Mao made a great interception late in practice on a deep sideline throw by Geno Smith intended for Dont’e Thornton Jr., then Trey Taylor came up with a pick on an Aidan O’Connell ball that was deflected several times.

But one of the more noteworthy plays was a simple out route that was completed to Thornton earlier in the session.

The rookie created separation and tapped his toes inbounds to come up with what would have been a first down reception. It was noteworthy for the fact it showed he possesses far more skills than just running go routes and catching jump balls.

“He just has a great skill set for someone that tall and that fast,” offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. “He’s got a great catch radius. He’s done a really nice job, and (wide receivers coach) Chris Beatty does a really good job with him of picking up our offense. He’s very sharp and I know it’s really comforting to Geno to know he has someone that tall and that fast out there as a big body to throw to that can run and stretch the defense a little bit. He’s been really good.”

Babe Bowers

The legend of Brock Bowers’ performance in the Battle 4 Vegas charity softball game earlier this month continues to grow.

Bowers dominated the home run derby at the event and then hit several home runs in the game, including a walk-off grand slam to lift the Raiders over the Golden Knights.

“You learn (about your players) every day,” Kelly said. “You know he can go deep, you know he can catch shallow routes and then I found out over the summer he can hit grand slams. So, you learn more about the player every time you’re around him. If for some reason any of our games turns into a home run derby and we’re playing anybody in the NFL, I’ll take Brock.”

Bowers said he was quietly confident he would put on a good performance, though the Ruthian effort that included a blast that left the park and landed on the roof of City National Arena next door may have been a bit of a surprise.

“It was pretty fun,” he said Thursday. “I didn’t want to brag too much just in case I didn’t do too well, but I knew I had it in me. It’s just been so funny with all the people asking me about it.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.