Analyst Slams Raiders' Biggest Offseason Move

It's easy to say that ESPN's Seth Walder is not a fan of the Raiders selecting Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State with the sixth overall pick. It's easy to say that because Walder said it himself, stating selecting Jeanty was the Raiders' offseason move he disliked the most.

"Jeanty is a thrilling player, don't get me wrong," wrote Walder. "But it's bad to take a running back that early considering he'll only provide surplus value if he is elite because his contract is already expensive compared to the position. The opportunity cost of taking a player at a premium position (it's much harder to find an elite tackle, wide receiver or edge rusher in free agency) is so high. For a more extensive look at this question, I recommend my colleague Bill Barnwell's article on the subject from 2023."

To be frank, I don't think Walder could be more wrong about Jeanty. Jeanty was the pick. He provides immediate impact and value to a franchise that values strong ball carriers and just experienced what life was like without one, playing the 2024 season with Josh Jacobs.

Wasn't fun was it?

When the announcement went out that the Raiders drafted Jeanty, for the first time in a very long time, it felt like the Raiders didn't mess up with their first round pick. There wasn't this feeling of what are you doing? It felt competent, confident, and there's a reason for that.

Jeanty is a Pete Carroll-type of player who has the ability to transform the franchise in a meaningful way, a way Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Mykel Williams, or any other elite tackle, wide receiver, or edge rusher ever could.

It's not hard to put Jeanty in a position to succeed. It's the easiest thing in the world to put the ball in his hands, and with Kolton Miller, Dylan Parham, and Jackson Powers-Johnson controlling the line of scrimmage, Jeanty should see opportunities early and often.

Jeanty literally carried the Penn State defense on his back, giving Boise State their only resemblance of offense in the Fiesta Bowl.

Think about that. 11 men assigned to stop one man and they don't have the success one would expect. 11 men tasked at stopping one man at the line of scrimmage and through sheer will, he churns out 104 yards.

Yeah, give me that guy every day of the week. This is like saying the Lions were wrong to select Barry Sanders.

Jeanty was the right choice. Keep in mind every NFL team is trying to find their Saquon Barkley, and the Raiders are one of the few teams that may actually have theirs.

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