Raiders GM John Spytek uses examples of the past and present to explain why Ashton Jeanty was the pick all along
For the whole offseason leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, it was so obvious that the Las Vegas Raiders were going to draft Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. That is, until the day before the draft when we started seeing all these smokescreen reports of Kelvin Banks and Armand Membou. But, largely, everyone […]
For the whole offseason leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, it was so obvious that the Las Vegas Raiders were going to draft Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. That is, until the day before the draft when we started seeing all these smokescreen reports of Kelvin Banks and Armand Membou.
But, largely, everyone thought the pick was Jeanty. The only thing possibly stopping that from happening was someone trading up above the Raiders to get him. Outside of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns trade, everyone stayed put, and the Raiders got their guy.
And it always felt that would happen for a few reasons. First, Spytek told a lie about a story where his son said that he would leave the family if he didn't pick Jeanty. Second, the Raiders had one of the worst run games in the history of the sport last season, so why not get one of the greatest college running backs of all time?
And then, of course, knowing John Spytek's background from his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and knowing Pete Carroll's background from his time with the Seattle Seahawks, certainly helped make that educated guess.
And, I mean, let's be honest — if there is a guy who gets close to Barry Sanders on some records, how could you pass up on him?
"I always think of running backs like Bucky Irving last year — the first man can’t tackle me. Bucky proved that," Spytek said on the NFL Spotlight Podcast with Ari Meirov. "And Ashton has great feet, great vision, and he’s a nightmare to tackle in the open field for linebackers and defensive backs. And when you come up 31 yards short of Barry Sanders? You’ve got my attention. We want to be a physical and violent football team."
Jeanty is a superstar in the making, and he hasn't even played a game in the NFL yet. But you can watch his tape and his film and see that he has all of the tools to be great at the next level. As a rookie, he won't be otherworldly, but he will make some plays that show he can get there eventually.
His rookie season is going to be one to watch. It feels like he could end the 2025 season as a top 10 running back in the league. And, he could elevate the Raiders' offense to a unit that is actually competent. If all goes well, we could see the Raiders as a wildcard team, and a large reason why would be Jeanty.
Ashton Jeanty is already showing off at Raiders rookie minicamp what we rarely saw from the RB room in 2024
The Raiders have to love what they’re seeing already.
