The Las Vegas Raiders entered the offseason with two glaring weaknesses in their offensive backfield. The first, and most notable, was addressed when Las Vegas acquired quarterback Geno Smith in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. The deal reunited Smith with Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, who helped resurrect the veteran quarterback’s career in Seattle.
With the quarterback position addressed, the next logical step for Las Vegas’ offense would be to address the running back spot. The Raiders currently hold the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, making them an ideal landing spot for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty is considered to be one of the most talented running back prospects in years, and he could go a long way toward fixing the Raiders’ offensive deficiencies. But while running backs rarely get drafted that highly, Las Vegas may have some competition for the talented prospect.
Jaguars could steal Ashton Jeanty from Raiders in 2025 NFL Draft
In a recent mock draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projected the Jacksonville Jaguars to select Jeanty with the No. 5 overall pick, one selection ahead of the Raiders. The Jaguars still have running backs Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby on the roster, but neither inspired much confidence in 2024.
Although most mock drafts project the Jaguars to select Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, Brugler believes Jacksonville could opt to draft the best player available instead of drafting for need. That would certainly sting for the Raiders, who desperately need to bolster their running game.
During the 2022 season, former Raiders running back Josh Jacobs led the league with 1,653 rushing yards. Three years later, the rushing attack in Las Vegas is in ruins. The Raiders weren’t able to find a suitable replacement after Jacobs left the team in free agency last offseason, and they generated a league-worst 1,357 rushing yards in 2024. That rushing output played a significant factor in their subpar offense, which finished as the fourth-worst scoring unit in the league.
Carroll has often relied heavily on the running game, and a strong presence on the ground could help alleviate some of the pressure on Smith to produce solely through the passing game. Las Vegas will have to bolster their offensive line to support Jeanty, but they’ve already started that process by signing former Cincinnati Bengals offensive guard Alex Cappa to a two-year deal.