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The Las Vegas Raiders were linked to running back Ashton Jeanty for weeks before the draft. The noise was so loud that it almost seemed like a smokescreen.
As the draft got closer, there were new rumors that Jeanty could be picked before the Raiders at No. 5 by the Jacksonville Jaguars or by a team that traded ahead of Las Vegas. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders were atop the running back's "wish list" heading into the draft.
He eventually got what he wanted and was selected by Las Vegas with the No. 6 pick. However, why was he interested in going to a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since 2002 and was coming off a 4-13 season?
In a recent interview with Athlon Sports, Jeanty explained what was appealing about the Raiders.
"I think just the hires of certain people on their staff like Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly, their mentality in establishing a run game, and their use of running backs," Jeanty told Athlon Sports. "Just different things here and there. They called me about a week before the draft ... and that was kinda like my final, 'yeah, if I'm on the board at six, I'm going to the Raiders."
Jeanty was right, as Las Vegas ultimately decided to draft the running back despite last-minute rumors they would take an offensive lineman even if he was on the board. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers never drafted a running back as high during John Spytek's time with the team, and neither did the Seattle Seahawks while Carroll was there. It's a testament to what kind of prospect Jeanty is.
More must-reads:
- Standout performances from Week 1 of NFL preseason: Rookie, backup QBs shine
- Eagles get big injury scare at practice regarding key starter
- The 'NFL Defensive Players of the Year ' quiz
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Standout performances from Week 1 of NFL preseason: Rookie, backup QBs shine
The first week of the 2025 NFL preseason is officially in the books. Even though the games and results do not matter, there is still reason to pay attention to standout performances from around the league. Here are some of the best from this week's games. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots The Patriots need some game-changers on offense, and they may have found one in second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson put on an immediate show in the Patriots' preseason opener, returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, rushing for 18 yards on his only carry and catching three passes. Skylar Thompson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers Thompson is not likely to make the Steelers roster, but that doesn't mean he can't find a spot on another team. Especially if he puts together a strong preseason performance. He did exactly that on Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars, completing 20-of-28 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. With Aaron Rodgers unlikely to play in the preseason and Will Howard injured, Thompson should get plenty of reps to audition for other teams. Tanner McKee, QB, Philadelphia Eagles Following the offseason trade of Kenny Pickett, McKee is now pretty much cemented in as the Eagles' backup, and he had to give them a lot of confidence in his ability following his preseason performance against the Bengals. McKee torched the Bengals defense to the tune of 20-of-25 passing for 252 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It is a nice continuation for McKee following his promising debut a year ago when he threw for 323 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in his two appearances. Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams The Rams already have a starting running back in Kyren Williams, but there is nothing wrong with having a second productive player at the position. Corum didn't make the expected impact in his rookie season, but he had a promising preseason debut this year with two touchdowns in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. Rookie quarterbacks Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders got the week off to a promising start by throwing two touchdowns against Carolina, taking a big step forward in his quest to win the team's starting quarterback job and to silence the critics following his slide in the draft. Jaxson Dart, one of the Giants' first-round picks, also had a strong showing by going 12-of-19 with 154 yards and a very impressive touchdown pass. Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, also had a strong debut by leading a touchdown drive and developing an instant connection with veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Abdul Carter, DE, New York Giants Carter did not play a ton of snaps for the Giants, but he was a force when he did play. He recorded a quarterback pressure on all three of his pass-rush snaps and showed the type of quickness and speed that made him one of the best players in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Cam Little, K, Jacksonville Jaguars Look, when you kick a 70-yard field goal, you deserve to get some added recognition, whether it counts as an official league record or not. Little made all four field goal attempts, as well as an extra point, in the Jaguars' preseason debut.
Mets' slide continues with arguably their worst loss of the season
The New York Mets are trending in the wrong direction, and their slide continued on Sunday with what might have been their worst loss of the season. The Mets not only were on the losing end of a 7-6 walk-off loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, they blew a 5-0 lead in the process and extended their losing streak to seven consecutive games. Even worse, they have lost 11 out of their past 12 games during a time where the Philadelphia Phillies are starting to pull away in the National League East race. The biggest issue for the Mets for most of this slump has been an offense that has gone ice cold. But that wasn't necessarily the problem on Sunday as they pushed six runs across the plate. The problem on Sunday was a rough start for Sean Manaea (four earned runs in four innings) and a bullpen that was unable to hold on to a late lead. Trade-deadline addition Ryan Helsley allowed the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning when he allowed an RBI single to Joey Ortiz. That set the stage for star closer Edwin Diaz to serve up a walk-off home run to Isaac Collins. The Mets are still holding a playoff spot in the National League, but it is getting more uncomfortable by the day. After Sunday's games they are in the third and final wild-card spot in the National League, and only have 1.5 games of cushion between them and the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets had sky-high expectations this season after making the playoffs a year ago and then adding Juan Soto in free agency. While Soto's bat has ended up being everything the Mets hoped it would be, the rest of the offense has struggled in the heat of the summer and now the pressure is only going to keep mounting if they do not get out of this slump soon. With nine of their next 12 games coming against the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals — two of the worst teams in the National League — there is at least an opportunity for them to maybe get back on track. They need to, because after that stretch they have a three-game home series against the Phillies that could go a long way toward determining the path of their season.
Commanders' signing of former third-round pick shows their opinions on the position group, and might foreshadow a current injury
Washington Commanders HC Dan Quinn spoke with the media before practice today and continued to express his displeasure with the team's results in their blowout loss on Friday night. He spoke about the depth he likes on the team, but also hinted at some positions that could use some help. Quinn also said that the team would be working out a handful of players following practice today, and that they are always willing to improve the team where it's possible. Well, the Commanders signed a player today following the workouts that could hint at what Quinn was talking about, and more. Commanders sign former third-round pick The Commanders are signing a former third-round pick in LB Duke Riley, who was actually drafted by the Atlanta Falcons when Dan Quinn was the head coach there. This signing comes after the Commanders worked out 14 players after practice today, which contained seven linebackers and no wide receivers. After the performance we saw in the first preseason game on defense and special teams, these workouts shouldn't be surprising though. Riley was a starting linebacker in Atlanta when he was drafted in 2017, and eventually landed in Miami in 2021, where he has been a rotational linebacker and special-teams defender. That tells me a lot about what they saw on film after watching the first preseason game. Could the writing be on the wall? This immediately raises two flags for me: who would he replace on special teams, and what does this mean for the health of another linebacker? When you go back and watch the film, Dominique Hampton did not look good at all at his new linebacker position, and I don't have him making the active roster. The team also drafted Kain Medrano, who is listed as a linebacker on the depth chart by the team. Other than that, the Commanders have no true depth at linebacker. You have a special-teams ace who can't play linebacker, and a linebacker who can't play special teams. That's not a good combo for roster cuts. Veteran Nick Bellore has been an outstanding special-teams player, but could his lack of ability at linebacker cost the 36-year-old? Hopeful second-round linebacker Jordan Magee has so much potential, but he's already dealing with an undisclosed injury after playing only 16 snaps in his rookie season due to injuries. Signing Riley, who can rotate at linebacker and be a key special-teams piece, means that the team either doesn't like what they saw on film with special teams, or they aren't sure if Magee can stay healthy. Either way, this signing is filling in two major needs right now.
Steelers Rookie Kaleb Johnson Gets Very Honest Rating In First Game Against Jacksonville
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Johnson comes to the Steel City after a tremendous career at Iowa, where he routinely faced stacked defensive fronts and still found ways to excel. The Steelers clearly believe he has the physicality, vision, and work ethic to contribute right away, especially in an offense that prides itself on a strong running game. In the Steelers’ first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh came away with a 31-25 victory. Johnson saw limited but notable action, carrying the football eight times for 20 yards and catching one pass for six yards. While his stat line didn’t jump off the page, his debut provided the coaching staff with an initial look at how he adjusts to NFL speed and physicality. Following the game, former Steelers two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Hoke appeared on the KDKA Nightly Sports Call to give his honest assessment of Johnson’s first NFL outing. Hoke noted that while Johnson showed flashes of his college toughness, he still needs to work on reading NFL-level defenses and hitting the hole with more urgency. He emphasized that preseason is about learning and adapting, and that Johnson has the tools to grow into a productive player for Pittsburgh if he embraces the grind. "On the one sack earlier in the game, Mason [Rudolph] wanted to check it down to him and he stayed in to protect," Hoke said Saturday on the KDKA Nightly Sports Call. "There's been a lot of talk about, 'Can Kaleb Johnson protect?' That's a big part of why he needs to be out there getting these reps, because he needs to protect Aaron Rodgers in the regular season. He stayed in there too long, didn't leak out for the safety valve, but Kaleb Johnson broke tackles." Hoke, as a whole, sounded very pleased with what he saw from Johnson. While the stats were not impressive, the eye test revealed Johnson’s burst and vision. Perhaps his best moment came when he planted Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter into the turf. Hoke acknowledged that Johnson still has plenty to work on but expressed confidence that he can get there. "A lot of times when you are a running back and you get to a hole, you are going to have a guy there," Hoke continued. "You've got to make the first guy miss. He stiffed-arm, he got outside, got some positive yardage when a lot of times we saw last year running backs were going down on contact at the first guy. So, I really like what I see from Kaleb Johnson." The Steelers’ running back room looks noticeably different heading into the 2025 season. Like several other key positions on the roster, it underwent a complete overhaul. Pittsburgh will open the year with a one-two punch of Jaylen Warren and Johnson, though many analysts believe Johnson could begin stealing carries from Warren as the season progresses and eventually emerge as the lead back. Steelers Could Have A Punishing Rushing Attack In addition to Warren and Johnson, the Steelers added veteran running back Kenneth Gainwell in the offseason. Fresh off a Super Bowl victory with the Philadelphia Eagles, Gainwell brings playoff experience and versatility to the group. Together, this trio will be the foundation that Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith and Head Coach Mike Tomlin lean on to power the offense. If the Steelers are serious about being legitimate contenders in 2025, their ground game will need to set the tone early and often. With Smith’s physical, run-first philosophy and a backfield that blends youth, experience, and explosiveness, Pittsburgh has the pieces to build one of the most punishing rushing attacks in the league.
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