It wasn’t fun for Kansas City Chiefs fans watch the other three AFC West teams nail their respective drafts. What happened to the rest of the division being a joke? Are those days behind us?
It was hard not to notice what the Las Vegas Raiders did in their draft considering they owned the sixth pick and landed an absolute stud in Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. It’s true that running backs aren’t valued the same way as they once were but it feels like Saquon Barkley proved that shouldn’t be the case and that, paired with Jeanty’s incredible 2024 season with the (Boise State) Broncos, paved the way for Jeanty to go early in the draft.
The sad reality is that the Chiefs will now have to square off against Jeanty at least twice a year for the foreseeable future. That’s a terrifying thought, if we’re being entirely honest.
While appearing on FanSided’s Stacking the Box podcast, Jeanty was asked by host Sterling Holmes what his thoughts are on the Chiefs-Raiders rivalry. He, of course, provided a lot of the typical responses you’re used to hearing but threw in a fun little nugget for listeners as well regarding his take on the Chiefs-Raiders rivalry.
“I’m definitely excited. I mean, rivalry games are always the most fun. You know, you play a little harder, a little more trash talk,” Jeanty said. “[The Chiefs’] starting linebacker Nick Bolton, he actually went to the same high school as me, so it’ll be like a crazy moment to play against him.”
Ashton Jeanty says he’s fired up to battle high school alum Nick Bolton
The aforementioned high school is Lone Star High School located in Frisco, Texas. Bolton and Jeanty are not the only NFL players to hail from Lone Star High, as Broncos wide receiver Marvim Mims also attended school there. It’s clearly a popular high school for AFC West teams to draft out of!
While Chiefs fans aren’t looking forward to squaring off against Jeanty twice a year for at least the next half decade, the Jeanty/Bolton storyline is fun. Bolton has been with K.C. since it spent a second-round pick on him in 2021. He re-signed with the Chiefs in the offseason so we’ll see at least three years worth of Bolton/Jeanty match-ups. Should be fun.
