Raiders NFL Draft 2025: Running back Ashton Jeanty a ‘perfect storm’ of BPA while also filling a need

Las Vegas lands clear-cut workhorse starting tailback to establish much-needed identity

Between head coach Pete Carroll’s cryptic draft day clues tweets and the intrigue in the first give picks that preceded the Las Vegas Raiders choice at No. 6 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, turns out, the Silver & Black Crocs were the ultimate tell.

That was the footwear Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty sported at at the event in Green Bay, providing an obvious sign of where he’d potentially land.

Especially when directly compared to the GIFs and memes Carroll distributed on X.

The new Raiders power duo of Carroll and general manager John Spytek made Jeanty the sixth overall selection in the draft. And, despite having two distinctly different regimes in the 2024 draft and here during the 2025 version, that makes back-to-back first-round selections that were best player available (BPA).

First came Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. And now it’s Boise State’s Jeanty.

And unlike the Bowers pick — seen as a luxury-type selection due to the Raiders (oddly enough, another prior regime that preceded the GM and head coach duo of Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce) snagging Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 draft — Jeanty also fills a dire need in the running back room.

Now there’s no question who the lead back in the Raiders tailback room is. And that makes Jeanty a perfect storm of BPA while also filling a need.

Don’t believe me?

“It’s one of those deals where it meets the need and the best player meet together, and you kind of feel like that’s a perfect storm at that point too, and it’s just too much to ignore at that point,” Spytek said during the draft day press conference after the first round. “He’s the perfect player for us this year, and we were thrilled to make him a Raider.”

Now, let’s get this portion out of the way: As I’ve written many times before, BPA means the Raiders’ best player available. Often times, folk can get hung up on BPA thinking it’s a consensus type thing. It’s not.

The Silver & Black draft board hierarchy is what Spytek, Carroll, and the rest of the Raiders’ decisions makers deem and atop said ranking are who they deem as best player available — positional value, draft pundits, media rankings, all be damned.

Backfield Boost

The Raiders running back room was a question mark heading into the draft. Super veteran Raheem Mostert, at the ripe age of 33, was slated to be a favorite to lead the group due to experience, production, and familiarity with Las Vegas offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

Mostert, of course, had a stellar 2023 campaign and downtrodden 2024 performance, but for a running back room that had no perceived pecking order, the depth chart was precarious at best.

Not anymore.

Jeanty’s arrival gives Las Vegas a dynamic presence in the backfield as the 21-year-old is compact but well built at 5-foot-8 ¹⁄₂ and 211 pounds. This particular Boise State Bronco checks off a lot of the boxes with his power, speed, and vision as a ballcarrier posting ridiculous numbers in 2024 — 374 caries for 2,601 yards, and 29 touchdowns, 23 catches for 138 yards and another score. His contact balance separates him from the draft class as he’s able to absorb, bounce off, and accelerate for explosive plays — something the Raiders run game severely lacked last season.

Jeanty, the top running back in the 2025 draft class, is so talented as a runner that he succeeded independent of the Broncos’ offensive line in front of him. That alone should’ve piqued all 32 teams interest.

But that particular ability will be thoroughly tested as Jeanty embarks on his Raiders career. Las Vegas offensive line started off poorly in 2024 before finding its footing and becoming a mid-range group. Spytek and Co. have plenty of work to do in bolstering the depth and coaching the group up in 2025, but starting off middle of the pack and elevating from there will only make Jeanty and the rest of the offense hum.

And starting quarterback Geno Smith is going to love being able to hand off and throw the ball to Jeanty. The infatuation will grow exponentially once Jeanty works on areas of opportunity like ball security and pass protection.

Value Renaissance?

Spytek is quick to dismiss the notion that the running back position is devalued in today’s game. He’s a firm believer in the importance of a consistent and productive ground game and he’s given Kelly a tailback who can excel in his diverse run schemes.

But we’ll find out if there’s indeed a value resurgence for the Raiders.

Taking a tailback No. 6 overall in the draft is often frowned upon but Jeanty has the skillset and potential to blow the value charts out of the water. And if he’s every bit as good in Silver & Black as he was at Boise State, then where Jeanty was selected matters little. If he’s unable to replicate the big-time production and game-breaking ability in the pros, then …

But that’s for down the road.

Picking Jeanty is a much-needed shot of adrenaline for the Raiders running back room and offense, as a whole. Spytek and Carroll are far from done building the roster — the GM admitted as much in day 1 presser — but adding an elite prospect with team’s first pick in the 2025 draft is a hell of a start to this regime’s construction job.