A few weeks ago, it was hard to find a mock draft that wasn’t sending Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty to the Raiders at no. 6 overall in the draft.
In the last week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and others have given new life to the idea the Raiders might take an offensive lineman in the first round, but there are still plenty of insiders and draft analysts sticking with Jeanty to the Raiders.
This week, FOX Sports host Colin Cowherd projected Jeanty to the Raiders at no. 6 and league insider Jordan Schultz shared strong words on Jeanty’s fit in Las Vegas.
“I had a GM tell me a couple days ago that Ashton Jeanty is being slept on,” Schultz said on The Herd.
“I said ‘What do you mean? He’s going to be a top 5, top 10 pick.’ He said, ‘No, no, no. You don’t understand. This guy is a superstar. People are talking about him like he’s a good player, maybe a great player. He is a day one 1,500-yard guy.’”
“Ashton Jeanty at [pick six], to me, out of every pick here might just be my favorite because we talk so much about Pete Carroll and Marshawn Lynch,” Schultz continued.
”Now I don’t know if Pete and that organization ultimately want to go running back at six, but there is a big contingency within the Raiders’ building that really likes Jeanty. If you really want to build this offense the way that Pete Carroll has had a great offense, it’s around the running game and play action… they just gave Geno [Smith] an extension, you bring in Ashton Jeanty, I think it’s a home run.”
For what it’s worth, this isn’t the first time Schultz has reported about a “big contingency” in support of Jeanty in the Raiders’ building.
Nearly a month ago, the FOX insider made a nearly identical statement on Jeanty and his standing in Las Vegas.
“There is a contingent of Ashton Jeanty supporters within the organization,” FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported on the Raiders in March. “In Marshawn Lynch, Carroll has had tremendous success with a dominant, physically imposing running back. Perhaps Jeanty will be next. Either way, the Silver and Black — now armed with a two-time Pro Bowler in Smith — believe they’re finally set at quarterback after years of mediocrity at the position.”
Jeanty is one of the most dynamic prospects in this year’s draft, but he’s also considered one of the safest picks in this year’s class in terms of character and work ethic.
The 5’9, 212-pound running back issued a strong statement this week and compared his upcoming impact on the NFL to the best runner in the league…
No body with half a braincell gives a $hit what Colin Cowterd thinks. You should’ve just stuck with Jordan Shultz and the others opinions.
What?
I do like Ashton Jeanty’s open letter an awful lot. He may very well be that kind of back. But positional value and recent draft history say taking a back that high is a misuse of resources.
Attributing Seattle’s success to Lynch isn’t quite right either. They had a dynamic QB who, in his prime, was a threat as a runner, and was a historically great deep ball passer. And maybe most importantly, they had 2 corners who beat the hell out of opposing receivers (before the league cracked down on illegal contract), an all-time great single high safety, a linebacker-sized menace at the other safety spot, and generally had a defensive line that didn’t need much help pressuring the QB and stopping the run. But they also had a pretty darn good LB corps, too, just in case.
The Raiders just don’t really measure up as currently constructed and are unlikely to get there before a Jeanty would be looking for an extension. A Jeanty type pick would make more sense for this team in 2027, assuming they build up the rest of the roster in ’25 and ’26. It would be like a baseball team using a top 10 pick on an MLB-ready closer. No matter how great that closer is, he’s not lifting a bad team into contention.
I am so tired of reading these so called football analysts. Oh the running back position is not a valuable asset anymore. Tell that to the Eagles, their game changed and they won the Super Bowl. People said Al Davis was nuts by picking a kicker in the first round. How did that turn out? Pick jeanty at 6. If that’s who you want pick it without question. Who is Mel kipper jr anyway. Too many Red Bulls and monster drinks. Try decaf just saying.