Like all other teams, the Raiders are busy hosting several prospects in advance of this month’s draft. One of the players headed to Vegas this week is the top running back in the 2025 class. 
The Raiders are set to host Ashton Jeanty, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. He adds the Heisman runner-up will fly in tomorrow. Vegas owns the sixth overall pick in the draft, and as a result the team will likely be within range to select Jeanty.
Several mock drafts have linked team and player in this case, given the Raiders’ struggles on the ground last season. Year 1 of the post-Josh Jacobs era did not go according to plan, with Zamir White averaging only 2.8 yards per carry. Alexander Mattison was not much more efficient, and he has departed in free agency. Vegas added Raheem Mostert last month after he was cut by the Dolphins. The veteran figures to have a role on offense in 2025, but it would come as no surprise if a notable draft investment were to be made in the backfield.
Jeanty enjoyed an extremely productive tenure at Boise State, winning the Mountain West’s Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2023 and again last season. After totaling 2,729 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2024, Jeanty earned All-American honors and took home the Maxwell Award. The three-year Broncos contributor headlines a strong running back class, one which is expected to see North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton also hear his name called on Day 1.
Having already met with the Bears and Cowboys, Jeanty is not expected to fall outside the top 15-20 picks. He will likely be off the board well before that range, and the Raiders are certainly among the teams to watch with respect to selecting him. How the team proceeds will of course depend in part on how the upcoming visit goes.
Rapoport adds that Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is also slated to visit the Raiders. Vegas’ starting situation has been assured with the decision to trade for and extend Geno Smith, but the team could of course be in the market for adding a rookie past the opening round of the draft. Ewers – whose final Longhorns season included injuries and less-than-expected production – is one of many Day 2 prospects in the 2025 class; the Raiders own one pick in each of the second and third rounds.
The thought of a team drafting a running back in the top ten reminds me of the classic exchange from Arrested Development.
“You know, Lindsay, as a therapist, I have advised… a number of couples to explore an open relationship, where the couple remains emotionally committed but free to explore extramarital encounters.”
“Well, did it work for those people?”
“No, it never does. I mean, these people somehow delude themselves into thinking it might, but… but it might work for us.”
Was that supposed to be funny or something?
Ha
Ha
HaHa
Ha?
Worked for the Ravens (Jamal Lewis), Rams (Gurley), and Saints (Bush) if we’re talking championships. I’m sure the Chargers (Tomlinson), Vikings (AP), and many others never would have made a different decision. But, what do much smarter people who get paid to make these decisions know right?
Odds are it won’t be what gets you to the Super Bowl, but that’s the case for MOST TEAMS FOR MOST POSITIONS.
The most recent example you cited was Todd Gurley, who was over the hill by the end of his rookie contract. Anything before 2011 is a very different story because that’s when the CBA created a rookie contract pay scale. Bush never even rushed for 600 yards in a season with the team that drafted him. Tomlinson abd Peterson never won anything. And those are the best outcomes you could come up with going back 25 years.
Very fair point about the rookie contract pay scale, but not too convinced about the rest. I could have gone into more detail behind my reasoning, but I’m on vacation and don’t want to spend my time talking about something that doesn’t have one right answer.
Good day sir.
Saquon Barkley seems pretty good.
Barkley is great. He put a stacked roster over the top and they only had to pay a little more than third receiver money. But he never made the team that drafted him second overall relevant.
It’s a team sport. Giants o line, QB(s) is what makes the gents “irrelevant.”
Sure. They also didn’t have a quarterback succession plan or a great edge rusher or a bunch of other things that are more foundational to a team and make more sense to take in the top five than a running back. That draft was extra silly, because if the Giants were dead set on not taking a quarterback (which was silly, because they over-drafted one a year later in a much worse quarterback draft), they could definitely have traded down for a haul with a team that did want to take one, and likely would have been able to still get Barkley if they insisted.
Inflated numbers vs poopy defenses, nothing like SEC or B10. In addition, he’s 5-10 and maybe 210, so unless he’s going to be a 600-800 yds/year + 75 catches guy, he won’t carry the load for any team.
I’m less worried about his size than I am about his mileage. Dude led FBS in carries two straight seasons.
To be fair Derek Henry did too back then. In fact I think Henry carries it more coming into the NFL.
Derrick Henry was six inches taller and 35 pounds heavier going into the draft. He’s also just an outlier. You can’t draft a running back and reasonably expect him to take on nearly the workload Henry has without getting injured, ineffective, or both. Henry has 2355 regular season rushing attempts since he entered the league. Only one other back has even topped 1820. And Henry has another 198 in the playoffs. He’s a unicorn in this era.
I thought you’d respond that way. I get Henry’s size etc and his “unicorn” status. But let’s dive deeper. Henry had 695 carries in college. 395 in his last season. Marshall Faulk had 766 carries in CFB. Jeanty had 750 carries. Why do I bring up Faulk and Jeanty? Similar size and skill set.
I get todays NFL workd is dominated by PFF (overrated) grades and all these metrics etc. etc. but that means nothing. Backs carry the ball. They aren’t engines in your Toyota or Chevy. 100k? time to
Trade in.
Oh side note. Henry still needs about 500 NFL carries to match Faulks rushing attempts (that doesn’t include passes caught). Faulk is much smaller than Henry. So in your theory Faulk is a unicorn too? I think it’s just talented people
Know how to absorb hits and or know when to get down. Jeanty falls in line here. PFF and all these metrics are so over the top IMO. It changes peoples views. These PFF guys probably never even have 1 carry.
Well, I have no idea what your car comment means or what you’re ranting about with PFF, but yeah, you’re talking about two easy hall of fame running backs, and two unusually durable ones. Betting on a back to be that good and that durable is unrealistic.
The old saying that 100k miles means trade it in. It’s worn out. It’s got a lot of work. Cars nowadays are better than ever in terms of durability. Athlete’s nowadays are better conditioned than ever. Pff has clouded our football eyes, gut and and judgement. Jeanty passes the eye test. I’d draft him if I needed a RB. With that being said Raiders have many holes. One RB isn’t the answer. But I wouldn’t be mad if the raiders drafted him.
Side note – Tomlinson had over 3K carries in the NFL ( that’s not including receptions). That’s after over 900 carries in CFB. Talent is talent. Jeanty has that type of talent. There’s a reason draft experts comparison for Jeanty is LT. he reminds me more of Faulk but I can see the LT in Jeanty too.
I still have no idea what PFF point you’re arguing with here, but one part of athletes being better conditioned now is that their workload and safety are managed more than before. Defensive players are also bigger and faster than they used to be, so giving guys huge workloads is riskier than it once was. But it always was. There are guys like Faulk, but there have always been even more guys like Demarco Murray, Jamal Anderson, or Larry Johnson, who are dominant bell cows for a couple of years, but then their bodies break down.
And yeah, a team drafting in the top ten almost always has bigger holes than running back. That’s a key point here.
You make some good points here. Can’t really argue against them. In fact I kind of agree.
The PFF thing I brought up because I feel so many people get into their grades and thoughts. (Not saying you). I guess I could’ve left that out.
Appreciate the back and forth. Really good reply here from you.
Any time. For what it’s worth, I like a lot of what PFF does, but I feel like when people talk strictly about their grades like they’re an end all be all, that’s silly, and I think the actual PFF people would largely agree.
See I agree with that on PFF. That’s how I feel but you said it better than I could. I don’t mind reading PFF, doing their mock draft etc but yeah it’s not the end all be all.
Wow tell me you know nothing about football with out telling me you have never actually seen Jeanty play. Had 192 and three tuddies versus Oregon and ran for 109 against Penn who many said had the top defense in college. Penn state was bringing 9 in the box every play. Jesus..at least watch a game and please pretend to do some research. He is 5’9 and 217 so he is average NFL size ( you made it obvious that research isn’t your strong suit, but still, look it up).
What an absolute Clown Shoes take.
Jeanty had 10 fumbles on 830 touches in college. I wouldn’t invest a first round pick on a RB with ball security that weak even if he excels in other areas.
I’d have to see all those fumbles. Was he trying to gain extra yards? Make something happen down the field ? Was he in a pile up? Etx. Not all fumbles are the same. Some can be cleaned up.
Only took him 30 carries to get to 100 years against PSU. And Oregon was weak against the run. Those were the only two real teams he played against.
People used to say the same thing about Faulk coming out of SDSU. Look at who he played. His best game was against the university of pacific. Talent is talent. You can tell Jeanty has talent. Plus this is a team game. Boise at doesn’t have the same surrounding talent as PSU does. If Jeanty was on PSU or OSU he’d been even
Please build a solid line for him. The guy can be really Gooding the pros just don’t punish him behind a bad oline or non threatening qb.
Jeanty was great last year against poor defenses. Being a top 10 pick is an overreach for him.
The issue is that a GM needs to find value at each position to build a solid roster. Based on last years rookie contracts, Jeanty will likely get a 4yr 30 mil (#6 Malik got 4yrs 29 mil) which will put him 13th on the per yr list of RB contracts. In other words, it means this rookie is not a value. On the pay scale, it puts him right where a good vet gets paid. And because of the known wear and tear RBs take, with any early sucess they push for an extension before the original deal is done. This is why drafting an RB this high is a risk for a lesser team but maybe OK for a well established roster that just needs that last piece to put them over the top, like Philly did with Saquon.
As a Raider fan, I’d be very excited to get Jeanty, but I think there are other positions this roster needs that would be considered better value. That 4yr 30mil contract would put a CB at 33rd on the per yr list of CBs, 38th WR, and 20th at Tackle.
Jeanty may be special but the RB position has shown many times that its more dependent on a good team around it to succeed – again Saquon is the perfect example. Great but wasted on NYG, and a difference maker in Philly.
I understand your argument about his slot placing him in line with what a good veteran RB gets paid, but which veteran RB are you signing at this point? If you can’t think of one that would give you the value Jeanty will give you for the next five years, the point is moot.
I’d take Jeanty without hesitation, unless Hunter or Carter fell. I’m a big believer in drafting best player available, and Jeanty is going to be better than any CB, WR or Tackle likely available at that pick.
You can point to Barkley when he was with the Giants, but that doesn’t mean Barkley wasn’t a good selection. That demonstrated a terrible front office’s inability to identify and place talent around him. Philadelphia is well run, NY isn’t.
This is a really, really good running back draft, so it’s not like it’s Jeanty or bust.
It is, but unless, against all odds, Hunter or Carter fall to #6, Jeanty will be the best player on the board then. I just don’t believe in passing on BPA in most cases.
I’d easily take Graham if he’s there. Maybe Will Johnson. Their corner situation is brutal.
I’m not high on Graham as a prospect because he’s on the smaller side and doesn’t have a lot of arm length. In the pros, that could be problematic. Most mocks seem to have him connected to Jacksonville, anyway.
Johnson could be a good one; personally I just wouldn’t take him over Jeanty. I don’t think it can be discounted how far Jeanty would go in making the Raiders offense credible. They’d have possibly the best TE in the league alongside, in time, what may be a top 5 RB in Jeanty.
I like Graham better than you do (he was too good too consistently against strong competition for me to treat the arms as a huge concern in my book), but I get where you’re coming from on all of the above. Aside from the injury and value risks with a running back that high, I just have a hard time believing in investing too much in running back when a team has major roster holes, even if the holes and draft values don’t line up great at the moment. I get the sense they believe in Glaze at right tackle, but that would be a better positional value. So would McMillan. So would all three levels of the defense. I get that setting positional value aside, Jeanty is probably a better prospect than anyone at a more valuable position who would be left, but maybe that makes them a trade down candidate. I’m an almost never guy when it comes to first round running backs, especially for teams that aren’t close to being playoff teams. I’m also a believer in taking backs in the 45-90 range, which this draft should be great for. And I say all this as someone who thinks Jeanty is great and tempting (I’ve even come around to Chicago maybe making sense at 10), but I’ve become really skeptical about “generational” running backs doing all that much to change things for losing teams. I get feeling the other way in this case, even if I don’t.
That’s completely fair. I know drafting RBs in the first round is a very polarizing subject, with two very different schools of thought on it. Jeanty just looks like such a special talent, I think it’s a mistake to pass on him after Hunter and Carter are off the board. But you make valid points, and I’m sure many NFL GMs will look at it the same way you do, too. This draft will certainly be unpredictable, if nothing else.
As an aside, just to illustrate how wild the mocks have been on the run up to draft day, I’ve seen some that even have Johnson falling to round two. I don’t see it, but it shows how little consensus there is on things.
Johnson in particular is a funny one. Aside from missing time with injury this past year and not having ideal sprinting speed, I think it’s largely a matter of him looking like an inner circle elite prospect in 2023 more than he did in 2024. I can understand that giving people pause, but also enticing people.
But yeah, I think this is also just a wonky draft to have a very high pick. As a Jets fan, assuming Ward, Carter, Hunter, and likely Graham are all gone, I’d like to see them either take Membou or trade down. But who even wants to trade up in that range? It’s an odd year at the very top.
Raiders need BPA.