Apr 25, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders first round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft Ashton Jeanty, speaks to the media at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Analyst Views Raiders' Jeanty as Leading OROY Candidate

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated May 2, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders were one of the teams linked to Ashton Jeanty for many months before the draft, and in the days leading up it seemed as if the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to be the team to take Jeanty. Thankfully for Raiders Nation, months of speculation ended up being true as the Raiders were able to draft Jeanty with the sixth overall pick.

Jeanty is a generational prospect in his own right, but what makes him such a good fit with the Raiders is that they brought in a head coach who isn't afraid to run the rock. Pete Carroll has a history with teams with a focus on the ground game, and he's being reunited with a quarterback he has full faith in, Geno Smith.

Carroll's play calling will be the best it's ever been because he's surrounded by a coaching staff that's fully bought in on what he brings to Las Vegas. John Spytek has been making phenomenal moves as the Raiders' new general manager, and it's clear that he and Carroll have a plan for this franchise moving forward.

Brian Baldinger was once an NFL player, but now he's an analyst who works for the NFL. In an interview after the draft, he listed his top three rookie candidates for OROY next season, and Jeanty was one of them.

"...One of them is Ashton Jeanty. Just because of the commitment that we know Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly are going to get. I gotta believe that Ashton Jeanty will get a minimum of 300 touches, between running the football and his special ability to catch it in the screen game and the check-down game. You give Ashton Jeanty 300+ touches, he's gonna give you a whole lot of yards and a chance to win offensive rookie of the year".

I've talked about how the Raiders likely drafted the next OROY in Jeanty, and it certainly isn't a novel idea. From head to toe, their offensive identity was overhauled to fit that of a dominant ground game. The Raiders will be one of the most improved teams next season, and it'll be due to their improved run game as well as personnel changes in the front office.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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