Raiders Great Tim Brown Compares Ashton Jeanty to 90’s Teammate

Former Boise State standout Ashton Jeanty has drawn a lot of running back comparisons since being drafted by the Raiders with the no. 6 pick in the draft, and Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown offered another comparison this week.

Going back to his time in the league, Brown told Up and Adams host Kay Adams that Jeanty reminds him of one of his teammates in the 1990s.

“The guy that he really reminds me of is Napolean Kauffman,” Brown said of Jeanty.

“I think Napolean came to the league [with] a very undersized body or whatever, but he had the ability to return punts and kicks and do a lot of great things and his ability to hit a hole and explode was really amazing. I just think that if he can do some of the things Napolean was doing…. now he may be asked to do even more because Napolean wasn’t asked to carry the load as much. “

Up & Adams on X (formerly Twitter): “Who does Ashton Jeanty remind Raiders legend Tim Brown of?He’s channeling a former Raider, but it’s not Bo Jackson. 👀 @heykayadams | @Raiders pic.twitter.com/yIydiwIFcv / X”

Who does Ashton Jeanty remind Raiders legend Tim Brown of?He’s channeling a former Raider, but it’s not Bo Jackson. 👀 @heykayadams | @Raiders pic.twitter.com/yIydiwIFcv

Brown is presumably correct that the Raiders are going to lean on Jeanty, but an NFL insider this week shared a warning to the Raiders on the way they choose to deploy their star running back in his first season.

“Jeanty is a guy that’s a powerful, powerful runner. Yards after contact is phenomenal. The tape is really good. They just got to be careful,” league insider Adam Caplan said on Raider Nation Radio’s Unnecessary Roughness with Q Myers.

“We know they’re going to run the football. You don’t want to overwork that player to the point where he wears down. He’s had a lot of volume, and they’ve got to figure out how they’re going to deliver the carriage behind Jeanty going forward here.”

One of the more interesting training camp battles this year is going to involve the backup running backs in Las Vegas.

Raheem Mostert was added in the offseason to a running group that already included Zamir White and Sincere McCormick, who impressed in 2024 before his season ended with an injury.

White filled in extremely well for Josh Jacobs in 2023, and there are a lot of people who believe his down year in 2024 had more to do with the offensive scheme than it did his abilities.

Depending on what the new coaching staff is looking for, the backup running back situation in Las Vegas could be better in 2025 than what many seem to be expecting.

x: @raidersbeat