When asked about standout Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek hesitated, prompted by a whispered reminder from head coach Pete Carroll to tread carefully. The Raiders’ leadership clearly prefers to keep their draft intentions under wraps ahead of next Thursday’s 2025 NFL Draft.
Still, Spytek’s comments during Friday’s pre-draft press conference hinted that the Raiders aren’t ruling out taking a running back, possibly even Jeanty, at No. 6 overall.
“I’m gonna be careful about talking about any specific player,” Spytek said. “But more broadly to the running back question, we just saw Saquon Barkley change the Eagles in one year. They added an elite player to an already strong team. Where we’re picking, the goal is to add elite talent, regardless of position. I don’t believe in devaluing any spot on the field.”
Spytek made it clear the team is keeping all options open, even at quarterback. Despite acquiring and extending Geno Smith, the Raiders have hosted top QB prospects for pre-draft visits, including Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
“We’re remaining open-minded,” Spytek explained. “Anyone who can help us, especially at that position, will be considered. Geno’s here and we’re excited about him, but you can never have too many good quarterbacks.”
As for the running back position, no backs were selected in the first round of the 2024 draft. But that doesn’t mean teams have stopped investing high picks at the position, Bijan Robinson went No. 8 in 2023 to the Falcons and Jahmyr Gibbs followed at No. 12 to the Lions. Both have already shown their value.
Jeanty is widely seen in that same tier of talent. Many analysts project him to the Raiders at No. 6, which would make him the team’s first Round 1 RB selection since Josh Jacobs in 2019. With Jacobs now in Green Bay, Las Vegas’ run game plummeted to last in the league, making the need for a dynamic back urgent.
And Jeanty has been just that at Boise State, leading the nation in rushing over the last two seasons. In 2024 alone, he racked up a staggering 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns, earning a reputation as one of the toughest backs to bring down in college football.
If drafted at No. 6, Jeanty would be the highest-selected running back since Barkley went No. 2 overall to the Giants in 2018. He could also headline a strong class of RBs, including North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson.
Spytek pushed back on the narrative that running backs are no longer valuable.
“There are moments in games where the best player on the field might be your kicker or your running back,” he said. “I’m from Michigan, where running backs have always been valued. It’s part of my football DNA.”
The Jeanty-to-Vegas speculation is gaining momentum. In fact, it’s already reached Spytek’s home.
“My oldest son told me flat out: if we don’t draft Ashton Jeanty at six, he’s walking out of the family,” Spytek joked in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio. “He even told Mark Davis, ‘If my dad doesn’t draft Jeanty, he’s doing a bad job.’”
Whether or not Spytek listens to his son, or the growing buzz, remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: Ashton Jeanty’s name will be one to watch when the Raiders are on the clock.
