The Las Vegas Raiders selected Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s only the fifth running back selected in the first round in the past five years.
Jeanty won the 2024 Maxwell Award and finished runner-up to Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter for the Heisman Trophy last year after one of the most productive seasons in college football history. The 21-year-old consensus All-American followed up his 1,900-yard, 19-touchdown sophomore campaign with an FBS-leading 397 touches and 2,601 rushing yards as a junior. He also scored a career-high 30 scrimmage touchdowns (29 rushing), which led the Mountain West Conference.
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Jeanty was less involved in the passing attack in 2024, but he registered 100 rushing yards in all 14 games and 200 scrimmage yards in half of those contests. He opened the season with 267 yards and six touchdowns on 20 carries at Georgia Southern and added 259 yards and four touchdowns against Washington State four weeks later.
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Jeanty was ranked No. 3 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“With his low center of gravity and explosiveness, Jeanty has an uncanny ability to stay afloat through contact and be elusive in space (led FBS with 151 forced missed tackles in 2024 — 57 more than No. 2 on the list). He trusts his vision when following his blocks, but instead of predetermining his path, he displays outstanding reactionary reads to sort, cut and create.
“Overall, Jeanty displays exceptional contact balance, run instincts and versatility in the passing game, reminiscent of LaDainian Tomlinson. He has the talent to emerge as a high-level running back early in his NFL career.”
Coaching intel
What an anonymous coach had to say about Jeanty in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:
“He’s got very good vision, good patience. He bounces off people, runs through contact. It was rare for one guy to bring him down. And I liked that he gets better as the game goes on. … He reminded me of Ezekiel Elliott in how he ran. I do think guys didn’t go in with confidence to take him down, like some guys were intimidated by him. That ain’t gonna be the case in the NFL.”
Ashton Jeanty TD! 🐴@BroncoSportsFB on the board first! pic.twitter.com/di5Peic93R
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 29, 2024
Nick Baumgardner grades the pick
Unicorn running backs do exist. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs proved it a few years ago and Jeanty, the modern-day version of LaDanian Tomlinson, should be able to add his name to that list very soon. A true three-down weapon who can perform in any system or situation, Jeanty has playmaking ability in the box, on the edge, as a receiver and a blocker. One of the best pound-for-pound players in this draft and CFB’s most productive running back since Barry Sanders. Jeanty ran for 2,601 rushing yards with 29 touchdowns last year and added a receiving score as well. Jeanty finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up and a unanimous first-team All-American. He can dominate in gap or zone schemes and will be a terrific receiver.
Grade: A
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How he fits
The Raiders went with the best player available, and it just so happened to be a running back. Jeanty is a Day 1 impact player, with his ability to bounce off tacklers and take runs the distance. He is also very good at catching the ball and will be an exciting toy for offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Jeanty talked about how the Raiders stressed character more than other teams did in the interview process, and he is a perfect first pick for the new regime.
Depth-chart impact
Jeanty won’t exactly be a bell cow, as the Raiders did sign veteran Raheem Mostert, who can help keep the rookie fresh throughout the season. But Pete Carroll does want to run the ball a lot, and his first draft pick with the Raiders is built for that.
They also could have picked …
General manager John Spytek has an affinity for linemen, and there were a couple of intriguing options available on both sides of the ball. Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou was the standout on offense while Georgia defensive end Jalon Walker was still available on defense. Instead of taking one of those players or trading back, the Raiders took the best skill position player available in Jeanty.
Fast evaluation
The Raiders’ offensive line remains a question mark, but it’s important to keep in mind the Raiders can beef up the O-line later in the draft and will continue to invest in the position group in the future. The Raiders believe Jeanty’s combination of size, speed, balance, his ability to break tackles and his receiving skills will help him become an impact rookie even if the blocking up front isn’t great. And, long term, they view him as someone with the potential to become one of the best backs in the league.
(Photo: Loren Orr / Getty Images)
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