The Las Vegas Raiders addressed one of their biggest needs with the No.6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as the team added Ashton Jeanty to the running back room. The former Boise State superstar is the consensus top running back in this year's class and posted a 2,000-yard junior campaign in 2024.
Jeanty will immediately step in as the top player in the Raiders' running back room and should take a ton of pressure off quarterback Geno Smith's shoulders. The 21-year-old could develop into an All-Pro player at the next level, and scouts seem to think the sky is the limit for Jeanty.
Ashton Jeanty scouting reports
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein: "Jeanty plays a position that has become devalued on draft day, but his unique talent and the resurgence of the run game in the NFL should force teams to reconsider that factor when weighing his value. He’s the ultimate yardage creator, with the talent and skill set to succeed independent of the quality of his blocking. Jeanty’s speed forces linebackers to flow hard outside, creating cutback lanes and chunk runs, while his vision, balance and elusiveness get it done along the interior. The threat of what he can do on the ground should create ideal play-action opportunities for his team, allowing his next play-caller to, say, unburden a young quarterback or any other passer being asked to shoulder too much of the offense. He’s compact and muscular, but there could be some minor concern surrounding his massive workload in 2024. This top-flight running back is capable of becoming the face of an offense in a league where the pendulum might be swinging back to the running game. Jeanty has future All-Pro talent."
The 33rd Team's Kyle Crabbs: "Jeanty’s explosiveness in short spaces, his vision and patience as a ball carrier, his physicality as a runner in all phases, and his capability to contribute in all phases of the offense should have him well-primed to be the top running back from the 2025 class and offer him the opportunity to be a featured centerpiece of an NFL offense for years to come.
Pro Football Network's Ian Cummings: "You’ve heard it since the start of the 2025 NFL Draft cycle: Ashton Jeanty is different. We’re here to confirm that he is. Entering the cycle, Jeanty was PFN’s highest-graded RB since Bijan Robinson. He remains on that podium. College football watchers in the know expected Barry Sanders-esque numbers from Jeanty in 2024, and he got close. At 5’8 1/2″ and an almost 220-pound playing weight, Jeanty brings a devastating elusion fusion to the fold — using his low center of gravity, elite explosiveness and agility, sharp vision and creative instincts, and physical edge to terrorize defenders every week. And on top of all this, he’s a dynamic, well-versed receiving weapon."
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