Ashton Jeanty will traverse from the blue field of Boise State to the Silver and Black.
On Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This marks the highest drafting of a running back since Saquon Barkley at No. 2 in 2018.
The Raiders had been linked to Jeanty for weeks, as evidenced by the fact that new head coach Pete Carroll has a fondness for running backs and new general manager John Spytek admitted at the Annual League Meeting that his own son had threatened to “walk out of the family” if the GM passed on the Broncos standout.
Spytek asserted during the Raiders’ pre-draft news conference that he would not hesitate to select a running back at the sixth overall pick, and he did so. The selection of Jeanty marks the franchise’s first RB drafted in the opening round since 2019, when Josh Jacobs was selected.
Jeanty was aware of the pre-draft conversation, as he informed reporters on Thursday night that he was “certain” that the Raiders would select him after learning about Spytek’s son’s threat, according to The Athletic.
“I am ecstatic,” Jeanty stated, as reported by The Athletic. “The Raiders building is steeped in history, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.”
Jeanty will be called on to replace Jacobs, who left for the Packers in free agency last year. In 2024, Las Vegas’ rushing yards were abysmal, totaling 1,357 yards in the absence of Jacobs. This resulted in the team’s lowest league ranking.
A first-team All-American in back-to-back years, Jeanty took home the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back and the Maxwell Award as the best all-around player in 2024. The 5-foot-8, 211-pound back packs a punch.
A slippery runner with elusiveness and cut-back talent that has conjured comparisons to LaDainian Tomlinson and Barry Sanders, Jeanty is a surefire playmaker from the backfield. The comparisons are weighty but apt. The Boise State product owns the rare combo of burst, shiftiness and power to finish runs. The biggest knock might be that he doesn’t boast the elite top-end straight-line speed, but neither did L.T. When a defensive back’s ankles are broken in space, the speed becomes superfluous.
Jeanty’s college highlight tape is enough to make any scout drool. He owns the vision, balance and wiggle to leave defenders gasping for air. He’s got the tight-quarter slipperiness of an Alvin Kamara, able to slide through tackles. The 21-year-old also boasts excellent hands to excel in the screen game or as an outlet. The back will have to negate the fumbles after coughing up nine over the past two seasons. In three years at Boise, Jeanty generated 4,769 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns. He added 80 catches for 862 yards and another six scores. In 2024, he galloped for the aforementioned 2,601 rushing yards, falling just shy of Sanders’ collegiate record (2,628).
Jeanty fulfills an immense requirement for the Raiders and is expected to be a game-changer for a franchise that has endured three consecutive losing seasons.
The Atlanta Falcons selected Bijan Robinson at No. 8 in 2023, and the Detroit Lions followed with Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12. At the time, both options were evaluated, and they have both been successful thus far.
Last year, there was not a single back selected in the first round. However, Barkley’s exceptional season for the Philadelphia Eagles, who won the Super Bowl, in conjunction with a talented RB class, appears to have once again altered the perception of the significance of running backs.
The Raiders are not hesitant to allocate a high draft selection to a running back who they believe has the potential to transform their future, and the 2025 draft has commenced.
Leave a Reply