No player has been mocked to the Raiders with the no. 6 pick more than Ashton Jeanty and based on a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, that would be a welcomed development by the Boise State running back if it happens.
“I’m hearing that Jeanty is in play for the Raiders among a few options,” Fowler said on ESPN’s NFL Live.
“They’re also looking at offensive tackle, potentially, but there’s some momentum around the Raiders and Jeanty. I’m told that Jeanty would love to play for the Raiders. They are atop his wish list as far as what the player wants. We’ll see what the team wants.”
Fowler went on to say the Jacksonville Jaguars, with the no. 5 pick, are in play for Jeanty, as well.
Fowler’s colleague, Adam Schefter, talked about the Jaguars in a column on Monday and he hinted that Jacksonville could make a surprise pick on Thursday.
“Many mock drafts have pegged the Jaguars to select Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham at No. 5 overall. As the venerable Lee Corso says, however — not so fast, my friends,” Schefter wrote. “New GM James Gladstone — who has 10 picks to work with, including four in the top 90 — might not be that predictable. As one league executive said recently: ‘Jacksonville is a wild card — watch.'”
“Jaguars coach Liam Coen has long had a soft spot for wide receivers in the draft, and the top-rated wideout in this class, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, has drawn comparisons to … the Bucs’ Mike Evans,” Schefter continued. “Coen, who coached Evans last year, knows how valuable a player like that can be to an offense.”
As for Jeanty, he remains the popular pick for the Raiders in round one and the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore called Jeanty an “obvious” choice in his final mock draft of the year.
“This is an obvious pick — assuming Jeanty is still on the board. There is growing speculation that the Jaguars might take him with the fifth pick,” Bonsignore wrote in Saturday’s mock draft.
“Jeanty would be a great fit for a Raiders offense that lacks difference-makers, has averaged fewer than 20 points per game for two straight seasons and turned winnable games into losses through sheer ineptness. He will not single-handedly transform the offense, but no player in the draft packs a more impactful punch.”
x: @raidersbeat