The Las Vegas Raiders have various routes they can go with the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as there are holes all over their roster.
Quarterback is, of course, the one that stands out because Aidan O’Connell, Desmond Ridder, and Gardner Minshew II highlighted the position room in 2024. However, there are only two QBs, Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, currently expected to go off the board in Round 1.
With the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants each potentially interested in selecting their face of the franchise, all sitting ahead of Vegas in the current NFL Draft order, the Raiders could be forced to turn in a different direction, but just because Las Vegas might not land a QB with the No. 6 pick doesn’t mean it won’t add a generational offensive prospect.
Raiders Predicted To Go Off-Script by Selecting RB Ashton Jeanty
Running back is widely viewed as one of the lesser-valued positions in the NFL — or, that was the case until this season, when Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Jahmyr Gibbs, and others brought meaning back to the position. Each of the aforementioned RBs helped excel in their respective offenses, potentially even enough to tempt the Raiders to follow that blueprint.
Pro Football and Sports Network’s Ian Cummings predicts the Raiders will select the Boise State superstar at No. 6, passing on the likes of Abdul Carter and Mykel Williams.
“That’s right. Running backs matter again,” Cummings wrote. “And a running back like Ashton Jeanty can be an offense’s most valuable player. Jeanty is a special RB talent, with a near-generational evasion fusion that combines elusiveness, contact balance, vision, and relentlessness.”
Jeanty was the Heisman Trophy runner-up and arguably the best collegiate running back in more than a decade, so it’s hard not to justify this selection, especially when factoring in the Raiders’ offense ranked No. 29 in PFN’s Offense+ metric. However, it becomes harder to rationalize when you realize Abdul Carter, the Penn State edge rusher, comes off the board one pick later to the New York Jets at No. 7.
The reality is, regardless of how impactful Jeanty may be for new head coach Pete Carroll, passing on the opportunity to pair Carter with an elite defensive talent in Maxx Crosby would be seen as foolish.
Jeanty’s Scouting Report
The following scouting report comes from College Sports Network’s Will Helms:
“The biggest question when it comes to superstar Ashton Jeanty is how much impact a starting running back can have.
“For Jeanty, the answer is apparently a lot, as he carried a decent Boise State team to a top-10 finish and College Football Playoff bye. Jeanty’s consistency in the 2024 season was remarkable, as he ran for at least 100 yards against every team he faced, thriving even against stacked boxes.
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“His pad level, contact balance, and raw power are exceptional, giving him one of the highest floors and the highest ceilings in this draft class and he becomes a top 10 back the day he steps foot on an NFL field. There’s a considerable amount of mileage on his tires, so to speak, however.
“Compared to past elite running back prospects, Ashton Jeanty has by far the most college carries, with considerably more carries (750) than Bijan Robinson (539), Christian McCaffrey (632), and even Saquon Barkley (671). However, I think the importance of that is a bit overblown, as several of the NFL’s brightest stars are ‘older’ running backs with plenty of carries over the years.
“It doesn’t hurt in that regard that Jeanty only had 273 carries in high school, far fewer than most of the aforementioned stars. In fact, he has the least tread, of the four when combining high school and college carries.
“Jeanty ‘burst onto the scene’ in 2024, but many forget that he also led the country in yards per carry after contact in 2023 as well. The sample size is huge to know that his traits will translate.
“While he didn’t catch many passes as a junior, Jeanty caught 43 passes for 569 yards as a sophomore, best in the country among running backs. There are some technical inconsistencies in pass-protection, but nothing in his profile to suggest that he’ll struggle in that area in the NFL.”
