Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty is selected by the Las Vegas Raiders as the number six pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Raiders Nearly Impacted by Draft's Biggest 'What If'

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated May 19, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders secured a solid draft haul in this year's NFL Draft. However, Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus believes the Raiders' draft plans could have been significantly changed had one thing gone differently.

"The ripple effect starts in earnest with Jacksonville, which was rumored to be seeking an offensive playmaker. The best one remaining was Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, who went off the board one pick later to Las Vegas," Wasserman said.

Had the Jaguars drafted Jeanty, the Raiders would have had a backup plan. However, that plan would not have been as good as adding Jeanty.

"Speaking of the Raiders, losing out on Jeanty would have created a scenario where they possibly would have taken a trench player. There were rumors before the draft that they would have been satisfied with Armand Membou as their right tackle," Wasserman said.

"That would have allowed them to still fill needs at wide receiver and cornerback later in the draft while digging into the depth of the running back class. If Las Vegas had picked Membou, the Jets would have been forced to find another solution at No. 7."

Jeanty was undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the draft at a position the Raiders desperately needed to upgrade. Dave Richard of CBS Sports raved about Jeanty's strengths leading up to the draft.

"[Jeanty has] impressive size with a girthy, muscular upper body and strong, stallion-like legs. Weighed 215 pounds, but at 5-foot-9, carried it like a typical 225-pound back. [He] reliably followed his blockers to stay on track, but also would successfully and sometimes creatively freelance when needed to extend plays. Plenty of running backs can cut on a dime, but few can do it as swiftly as a bigger back like Jeanty did. Instantaneous cuts with explosive plant-and-go burst gave him a ridiculous advantage to make defenders miss him," Richard said.

"[Jeanty has] terrific know-how on manipulating defenders at the line of scrimmage. Would frequently press the O-line patiently to suck defenders in before explosively cutting and changing directions to get upfield. [He] typically had good vision, though there were occasions where he'd pick the wrong direction past the line of scrimmage. Very good acceleration when given space, particularly for his size, which was another unique trait that helped him win.Had a very good second gear to speed away from defenders in the open field, evidenced by five runs in 2024 of 70-plus yards. There's no questioning his long speed, even if he doesn't have a blazing 40-dash time like other great runners before him."

Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and talk to us about this What If!

While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss this What If!

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

More must-reads: