Jaguars' Campanile Offers Respect to Raiders Star Rookie

The Jacksonville Jaguars' run defense will face a challenge against this Raiders star rookie offensive playmaker.

Oct 12, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) reacts after the game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders have the two top 2024 Heisman Trophy candidates as the latter faces off against a running back who had one of the most historic seasons at his position in college football history.

As the Jaguars look to get back on track, they will be without last year's Heisman winner, Travis Hunter, for the foreseeable future. However, they play against Raiders tailback Ashton Jeanty, a player who was in the thick of the Jaguars draft rumors for the last month of the cycle.

Jeanty will pose a challenge for the Jacksonville defense, as defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile discussed with the Jaguars media on Thursday.

Jeanty was one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. After rushing for 2,601 yards at Boise State last season, the Raiders' running back has flashed at times this season, showcasing his capabilities. Campanile called Jeanty a "tough kid," while detailing his skill set.

"I mean, he runs the ball hard as hell, and you watch him, he brings it running through contact," Campanile explained. "He runs with great pad level, and I think he has really good contact balance. That's the one thing that jumps out to me."

September 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Jeanty's power, balance, and strong lower-half that can challenge Saquon Barkley for the best quad muscles in the league, forces teams to gang tackle a player of this caliber. His skill set fits perfectly with the direction of current trends in the NFL as the league begins to work back to running the football across the board.

"It's really got to be a team tackling mentality," Campanile said. "You’ve got to clamp the guy because you see guys sliding off him. You can't just go throw in there and cut tackle, it isn’t going to work against this guy."

Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner (27) tackles Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the third quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Raiders have struggled to find consistency across the board, and Jeanty has been unable to find the creases he was used to at Boise State. If Chip Kelly can find a way to put a heavy workload and put the offense through his rookie runner, Las Vegas could find success. However, it will be difficult against a quality Jaguars run defense ranked in the top-half of the league.

"He's had a lot of runs where you look at him this year and obviously through college, it's impressive," Campanile said. "So, I'm not shocked that they put a load on him, asking him to carry the load because he's a tough physical kid."

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