Mar 31, 2025; Palm Beach, FL, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll answers questions from the media during the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

NFL Mock Draft: Jeanty Fits Carroll’s Offensive Scheme

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 7:00 AM ET

It's no secret that newly hired Las Vegas Raider head coach Pete Carroll has a preference for pounding the rock, that is to say, running the football. His preferred type of offense is one where the ground game takes priority over anything else, which might seem conservative but actually opens up a lot of options for the offense.

For starters, the league saw how effective adding a dynamic running back to a team can be with the Philadelphia Eagles and Saquon Barkley. The Eagles may have made it to the Super Bowl before, but they would not have won it if they hadn't added Barkley in the off-season.

Now, I'm not saying the Raiders are one piece away from winning a Super Bowl, but after what seemed like an all-time low market for running backs across the league, their value is being placed front and center.

Even before the success with Barkley, the San Francisco 49ers similarly made it to the Super Bowl on the backs of signing Christian McCaffrey. Though he's been plagued with injuries since nobody can take them away that year when he won OPOY.

With the value of running backs beginning to rise again in the NFL, will that influence the decision the Raiders make in the first round? Will Carroll allow his previous offensive tendencies to sway the Raiders toward drafting a running back?

That's a certainty, at least according to Jeff Kerr, sports writer for CBS Sports. He wrote a mock draft where he predicts the Raiders will go with the popular choice and draft a generational running back in Ashton Jeanty.

"There's a case to be made for Jeanty to go higher, but his explosiveness at running back is exactly what the Raiders need for their offense (and Pete Carroll loves running backs). The 151 missed tackles last season stand out, but so does his ability to catch the football and burst onto the second level", said Kerr.

This isn't the first time Jeanty has been linked to the Raiders, and despite it being a deep running back class, nobody could replicate the explosiveness he'd give this offense. He'd provide Carroll with an offensive powerhouse he hasn't seen since the days of Marshawn Lynch with the Seattle Seahawks.

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

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