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Ashton Jeanty Predicted to Slide Past Raiders, Land in NFC After Draft Day Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 6:00 AM ET

The majority of mock drafts predict the Las Vegas Raiders will hold at the No. 6 position and select running back Ashton Jeanty, but at least one prominent outlet has other ideas of how the first round will play out.

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report authored a three-round mock draft on Tuesday, April 15, in which he predicted that the Raiders will trade out of the 6th pick and allow the Chicago Bears to move on Jeanty at No. 10.

The premise is that the New Orleans Saints, the hot pick to select Shedeur Sanders, will move up from No. 9 to No. 6 in order to fend off any other takers who might try to deal their way into the mix for the Colorado QB. The Carolina Panthers have been clear that they are open to trade discussions at No. 8, which could leave the Saints one spot shy of their QB of the future.

"The New Orleans Saints have no choice," Sobleski wrote . "Granted, general manager Mickey Loomis could be patient and see if Shedeur Sanders falls to them with the ninth overall pick. It's quite possible. But why risk it?"

The logic on the Saints' side of the equation is sound. And the Raiders would move back only to No. 9 in Sobleski's hypothetical, picking up a third-rounder in 2025 and a conditional pick in 2026 while remaining one spot ahead of the Bears in the Jeanty sweepstakes.

However, Sobleski then predicted the Raiders will draft Michigan cornerback Will Johnson at No. 9 rather than Jeanty.

"After flipping picks with the New Orleans Saints, the Las Vegas Raiders still land a primary target, while adding a little extra to this year's draft war chest," Sobleski continued. " [Johnson] should still be viewed as the class' best pure cornerback prospect, especially if Travis Hunter is going to primarily play wide receiver."

Trading off No. 6 is a considerable risk for the Raiders if they do, in fact, intend to draft Jeanty. For instance, if the Saints trade up to No. 6 to guarantee they get Sanders, then no QB-needy teams are incentivized to trade up with the Panthers to No. 8.

That would leave open the possibility of the Bears doing so, leapfrogging the Saints at No. 9 in Sobleski's order of events, and allowing Chicago to steal Jeanty out from under Las Vegas.

As such, if the Raiders decide to trade the No. 6 pick, it will be a reasonable indicator that the team doesn't plan to take Jeanty, which makes the Bears the most likely candidate.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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