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Former Dallas Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith.

When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick in last year’s draft, there was a lot of excitement. He was coming off a historic junior season at Boise, and was one of the most hyped running back prospects to come out in years.

However, the Raiders didn’t do much to help him. Marred by poor playcalling and offensive line play, Jeanty only averaged 3.7 yards a carry as a rookie. Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, knows a thing or two about how important great offensive line play is for a running back to succeed.

He also doesn’t think the Raiders helped Jeanty enough as a rookie.

“Just like kryptonite is Superman’s weakness, a poor offensive line can be a running back’s weakness, especially if you have jail breaks,” Smith told Heavy Sports. “You talk about Ashton Jeanty coming out of college and doing the things that he did in college, but he went to the Raiders. He went to the Raiders.

“That’s all I have to say, he went to the Raiders. And the Raiders get enamored with Heisman Trophies. You know how many Heisman Trophy winners that the Raiders have drafted? And think about how many Heisman Trophy winners that they drafted are actually in the Hall of Fame. I mean, they drafted a ton of Heisman Trophy winners.”

It’s worth noting that the Raiders have drafted five Heisman Trophy winners in their history. Tim Brown, Charles Woodson and Marcus Allen are in the Hall of Fame, while Bo Jackson is considered one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the NFL and Fernando Mendoza hasn’t played a game yet.

Fernando Mendoza Draft Pick Helps Jeanty

Things are starting to look brighter for the Raiders. They drafted Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, and he should be the future at quarterback in Las Vegas.

While Smith thinks Mendoza’s presents will help Jeanty, he’s still stressing how important it is to improve the offensive line and wide receiver rooms.

“And at the end of the day, this draft here is going to help Ashton Jeanty because he has a young quarterback that can be groomed into becoming a great quarterback,” Smith told Heavy Sports. “So that’s a good thing.

“But if you don’t upgrade that offensive line, I don’t care how good your first-round draft quarterback is or how good your first-round draft pick running back is, nothing is going to work, nothing. And you have to ask yourself … who are you throwing a ball to? Let’s go, let’s look at it.”

Smith Still Thinks Jeanty Can Be a Star

Jeanty’s rookie struggles weren’t all his fault, according to Smith. He thinks the Raiders could be headed in the right direction under the guidance of minority owner Tom Brady.

Smith believes Jeanty still has the potential to be a star running back in the NFL.

“I mean, there’s a lot of holes that need to be filled,” Smith told Heavy Sports. “And it starts with the mindset that the organization needs to have. They got Tom Brady now, so that’s a good thing.

“They got somebody with wisdom that can help if they’re willing to listen. And I think Ashton Jeanty has the potential to be 1,000 yards back for many years to come. But he cannot do that without the right system, the right coaching, and enough of the right players around him. And the same thing goes for the first round draft pick, too, as well.