Raiders continue offensive makeover by drafting Ashton Jeanty

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty poses on the carpet before first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Raiders let their last first-round drafted franchise running back leave last offseason. They took their next one Thursday night with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is coming to Las Vegas. Jeanty comes off a historic college season that saw him win back-to-back Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year awards.

He rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in a senior season where he led Boise State to the No. 3 seed in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

Jeanty came into the day favored to be taken No. 5 overall, but a big trade left Jeanty available for the Raiders — where he had been linked all along. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up from No. 5 overall to No. 2 with the Cleveland Browns for wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who edged out Jeanty for the 2024 Heisman Trophy award.

Cleveland reportedly tried to trade down for the second time at No. 5 but couldn’t find a suitor and opted to take Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.

The Raiders didn’t even use their full allotment of time before submitting Jeanty, who was attending the draft live in Green Bay, Wisc., as their pick. Reports and betting odds coming into the day linked Las Vegas to Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks, but Jeanty was clearly higher on the draft board assembled by new Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Spytek and their staffs.

The Raiders had a number of needs but running back was among them after no one stepped up to fill the void left by Josh Jacobs, who departed for the Packers in free agency a year ago.

The Raiders were dead last in the league with an average of 3.6 yards per rushing attempt last season.

The hope is that Jeanty fixes that ranking immediately behind an offensive line that Carroll and Spytek have expressed optimism in all offseason. Las Vegas was mediocre at best up front on offense last season but were starting a pair of rookies, guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson and right tackle D.J. Glaze, that could continue to progress this season.

They’ll have a major role now in protecting not only a new starting quarterback, trade-acquired Geno Smith, but one of the most decorated running back prospects in years in Jeanty.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to lasvegassun.com for more coverage of the Raiders’ 2025 NFL Draft.