The Raiders are in a unique spot entering the 2025 draft. They have needs all over the roster, including the quarterback position, and could go in almost any direction with the sixth-overall pick.
In recent months, the draft conversations around the Raiders have mostly involved the quarterbacks, but with Geno Smith now in the building, Tom Brady and company might not be feeling as desperate at the position.
If they keep the no. 6 pick, the Raiders would love to add a generational talent, regardless of position. But will there be a generational talent on the board at pick six?
This week, Yahoo and FOX Sports host Jason Fitz talked about the Raiders’ options with the sixth pick, and he believes there will be a rare talent on the board if no one takes Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty in the first five picks.
“I think when it’s all said and done, the level of impact to his team is [going to be the level] Saquon [Barkley] and Christian McCaffrey have had on theirs,” Fitz said about Jeanty on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
“When it’s said and done, Ashton Jeanty is an NFL MVP caliber running back, that has the same impact. If a team knows how to use him the right way. The Giants wasted Saquon. The Panthers wasted Christian McCaffrey. I think if you get the right offensive line in front of Ashton Jeanty and a coach that knows what they’re doing, I think he is an NFL MVP caliber running back.”
The perception is that this year’s class of running backs is going to be deep, so it will be interesting to see how the Raiders choose to address the position if they believe Jeanty is an “MVP caliber” prospect.
Everyone knows Pete Carroll wants to run the ball in 2025, but is the no. 6 pick too soon to take a running back with so many other needs on the roster?
Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter reported the decision-makers in Las Vegas might “ideally prefer” to trade down from the sixth pick, and one of the teams to watch could be the Dallas Cowboys.
According to Carpenter, Dallas is believed to be targeting a quarterback and may need to move up from the no. 12 pick to get the quarterback they want.
“Word is beginning to circulate because of pro days, interviews, and some other issues, that the Cowboys are definitely looking quarterback. Now, with that said, there are a lot of people, and you can go back and look at my very first mock draft. I had the Raiders trading down from six to 12 with the Cowboys,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“I can tell you this was why I did it in my first mock draft. I had heard the same thing,” Carpenter continued. “So that creates a lot of interest at [pick] six. A lot of things could happen. If Shedeur [Sanders] and Cam [Ward] are gone, and there are teams that are hellbent on getting a quarterback, there could be a lot of people that would want to move up because there’s a lot of bad drafting teams”
“If the Raiders trade with the Cowboys, and the Cowboys go to [pick] six, I totally believe that there is a great opportunity unless somebody trades above the Raiders, that [Ashton] Jeanty falls to [pick]12, and the Raiders would nab him at [pick] 12… or have Omarion Hampton, which there are teams that have him higher on their board.”
x: @raidersbeat
7 come 11.
Welcome home sir jeanty 🥂, welcome to the silver and black!
Jason Fitz? Who the f*** is Jasin Fitz and why does he even matter?
If Jeanty was widely seen as an NFL MVP, then he wouldn’t be available at 6, Jason Fitz.
These so called experts are idiots.