The Las Vegas Raiders have been mostly an NFL laughingstock for the past 20 years or so. Although they have a new head coach in the proven Pete Carroll and a proven veteran quarterback in Geno Smith, few are predicting any type of major improvement for them.

However, there is one reason for Raiders fans to be hopeful for the immediate future: Ashton Jeanty, the team's talented rookie running back who could have serious star potential.

In the Raiders' first preseason game on Aug. 7, Jeanty got just three carries and didn't net any positive yardage. But on Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers, he showed a flash of what he could become in the years to come.

In seven carries, he gained 33 yards, and early in the second quarter, he scored a touchdown. Earlier in that same drive, he had

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