We’re now about three weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft. With the sixth-overall pick in the big event, John Spytek and the Las Vegas Raiders have a big decision to make. Ashton Jeanty is currently seen as the wide favorite to be selected at that spot, giving Sin City a dynamic presence in the backfield to open up an entire phase of offense that wasn’t previously there.
That’s a vision Spytek himself sees, although that doesn’t mean he’s already ruled out other visions in the meantime. Spytek’s oldest son, however, has his mind completely made up on who his dad should add to the Raiders with their sixth-overall selection in April.
“My oldest son has made it no secret that if we don’t pick Ashton Jeanty at six then he’s walking out of the family,” Spytek said on Sirius XM radio this afternoon.
“He walked right into our building and basically told Mark Davis, ‘If my dad doesn’t take Ashton Jeanty, he’s doing a bad job.'”
Jeanty and the Raiders is a pairing that’s made the most sense since the start of the draft process. So much so that The Raider Ramble has pieced this pairing together for over a month now.
For a plethora of reasons.
Ashton Jeanty, John Spytek, Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders
First and foremost, Ashton Jeanty is arguably the best pound-for-pound prospect in the upcoming draft. He, Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter are truly on a tier of their own in that regard.
Whether we’re talking numbers, film, or what his body is able to do as made clear by his Pro Day, it simply is what it is. Jeanty is, in a vacuum, objectively a phenomenal prospect.
But what’s better than getting the debatably best pound-for-pound prospect in a draft class? Getting that prospect who just so happens to play the debatably weakest position on the roster.
It truly is a perfect situation–the Las Vegas Raiders are in desperate need of a running back, and Jeanty is not only the best running back prospect in the draft, but arguably the best prospect in general among all players at any position.
It’s almost enough to make someone think, why on earth is John Spytek selecting Jeanty at six a controversial topic?
Especially when Sin City’s head coach Pete Carroll loves his running backs. Running the football is a desire Carroll made clear during his introductory press conference, even.
And the only thing the 73-year-old loves more than having running backs is drafting them. Early on, especially.
In four of his last 11 drafts with the Seattle Seahawks, Carroll selected a running back within the first two rounds. That includes Rashaad Penny, who Pete Carroll grabbed in the first round despite many having a much later grade on him.
As it just so happens, Jeanty is also the exact type of running back Carroll loves adding to his teams. A type he not only drafts, but trades draft capital for; see Marshawn Lynch. A hard-nosed running back with plenty of pop with clear big-play ability.
*Top Photo: Getty Images