The Las Vegas Raiders need a top-to-bottom restoration this offseason, and the wholesale changes began when the franchise hired Pete Carroll to replace Antonio Pierce as head coach.
Among the other big-ticket items on their offseason shopping list is a quarterback, though they may have difficulty finding a franchise field general in the 2025 NFL Draft. They have the sixth overall pick in a class with only two legitimate first-round quarterbacks.
If the worst-case scenario comes to pass — where Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are gone by the time the Raiders are on the clock — then the franchise will have to turn elsewhere with its first pick.
Latest PFSN Mock Draft Projects Ashton Jeanty to Raiders
In the latest PFSN Mock Draft, Justin Lewis expects the Raiders to target Boise State product Ashton Jeanty sixth overall.
Another house call for Deuce 🌬️
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— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) November 24, 2024
“It’s rare for a running back to be selected in the top 10 of the NFL Draft these days, with a few exceptions. The Atlanta Falcons picked Bijan Robinson at No. 8 overall in 2023, and the New York Giants drafted Saquon Barkley at No. 2 overall in 2018,” Lewis explains.
“Ashton Jeanty put up better numbers than both Barkley and Robinson in college, and he is the complete package at running back coming into the NFL.”
Lewis isn’t wrong in his assessment of Jeanty’s prodigious talent. He finished second in Heisman voting this year after leading the country in rushing attempts (374), yards (2,601), and touchdowns (29). Add on his receiving contributions, and Jeanty led the nation with 2,739 scrimmage yards and 30 touchdowns on a ridiculous 397 touches.
He’s the apparent crown jewel in a running back class that includes Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo.
Following the departure of star halfback Josh Jacobs, the Raiders’ leading rusher in 2024 was Alexander Mattison, with just 420 yards on 132 attempts. As a team, the Raiders posted a league-worst 1,357 rushing yards on the season with historically bad inefficiency (3.6 yards per carry).
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On offense, Vegas failed to score 20 points in seven of eight games following its bye week in the 2024 regular season, continuing a downward trending unit that finished the season ranking 31st in EPA per play.
According to Offense+ — a metric created by PFSN that combines statistics such as yards per play, points per drive, turnover percentage, success rate against the run and pass, third-down conversion rate, and more — Las Vegas’ offense has been declining for three consecutive years:
- 2022 Ranking: 14th
- 2023 Ranking: 21st
- 2024 Ranking: 29th
Though Jeanty obviously wouldn’t be the team’s much-needed answer at quarterback, he could single-handedly end their rushing game woes. While in Seattle, Carroll coached legendary running back Marshawn Lynch to the finest seasons of his career, and it’s tantalizing to imagine what he could do with a Jeanty-led offense.