

The Las Vegas Raiders have been stuck in a rut since their crushing defeat in Super Bowl 37 in 2002. In the 22 years since, they’ve managed just two winning seasons and two playoff appearances, both of which ended in the Wild Card round. They haven’t sniffed a division crown in that time, and in 12 of those lackluster years – including last season – they limped to five or fewer wins. This is a franchise that once ruled the NFL, boasting three Super Bowl titles and a reputation for dominance in the ’70s and ’80s. But those golden days are a thing of the past, and even a splashy move to Las Vegas hasn’t generated much excitement among the fan base.
Enter Tom Brady, the most decorated player in NFL history, who bought a stake in the team last year in hopes of bringing it back to relevance. With the draft on the horizon and the sixth overall pick in their pocket, the Raiders have a chance to grab a talent that could shake things up.
Why Ashton Jeanty Might Land in Vegas
With the NFL Draft less than 20 days away on April 24 at Lambeau Field, teams are putting the finishing touches on their plans. The Combine and Pro Days are in the rearview mirror, giving everyone a solid read on the first-round landscape. This year’s draft is shaping up to be a historic one: every team still has its first-round pick, and if they all stay on track, it will be the first time in the 32-team era (since 2002) that every team will select a player in the first round. For the Raiders, things are coming into focus. They’ve got a new head coach in Pete Carroll, a Super Bowl winner, and they started the quarterback shuffle by signing Geno Smith from the Seahawks.
That makes it a long shot that they’ll burn their top pick on a QB. The draft’s elite passers, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, are likely gone early-Ward probably to the Titans first overall, and Sanders scooped up by the Browns or Giants in the next two slots. Even if Sanders slips, don’t expect the Raiders to pounce, despite Brady’s buddy-buddy vibes with Deion Sanders and his glowing words about Shedeur. No, they’re more likely to grab Ashton Jeanty, the top running back on the board.
Why Jeanty? Simple: The Raiders were downright awful on the ground last year, finishing with the fewest rushing yards in the league. Jeanty is a human highlight reel, piling up 2,601 rushing yards in 2024 – second only to Barry Sanders in the NCAA record books. He swatted defenders like flies, forcing 151 missed tackles, and his combination of grit and elusiveness could be the spark Vegas needs.
Sure, they could hunt for a quarterback later in the draft, but not at No. 6-not when they just locked up Geno Smith, the league’s steadiest hand over the past four years, through 2027. Plus, the Raiders have a shaky track record with first-round QBs. The last one they took with the top pick was JaMarcus Russell in 2007, and that turned into a disaster that everyone’s still trying to forget. Jeanty is a safer pick and a chance to fix a glaring hole right now.
Carroll’s Track Record is A Reason to Believe
There’s a sliver of optimism creeping in for Raiders fans, and it has to do with their new sideline boss. When Pete Carroll took over in Seattle in 2010, the Seahawks were also sitting at No. 6 in the draft. That year, they struck gold: offensive lineman Russell Okung at six, all-time great safety Earl Thomas at 14, wideout Golden Tate at 60, and another legend, safety Kam Chancellor, at 133. That haul set the stage for a Seahawks powerhouse for the decade. If Carroll can pull off even half of that magic in Vegas – say, nabbing two players with that kind of upside – the Raiders might finally have something cooking. It’s a tall order, no doubt, but Carroll has a gift for molding talent, and with Brady whispering in his ear, there’s a chance they could breathe life back into this downtrodden team.
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