Will the Las Vegas Raiders actually draft Ashton Jeanty?

AtoZ Sports

Sam Phalen speculates on what the Las Vegas Raiders will do with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Transcript

00:00It's NFL Draft Week, and I just have to talk about running back Ashton Gentry, who everybody

00:06believes is going to go to the Las Vegas Raiders with the number six overall pick, even using

00:12quotes from Raiders general manager John Spitek for a reason why the Raiders are tipping their

00:17hand. But I think everybody has this all wrong. I don't think Spitek is zeroed in on Gentry,

00:25and I think it would be a little silly for the Raiders to take a running back in this year's

00:29draft. For A to Z Sports, to break it all down, I'm Sam Phelan.

00:36No team has been tied to superstar running back Ashton Gentry more than the Las Vegas Raiders

00:43ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. And on paper, the fit makes a lot of sense. I mean, the Raiders'

00:50leading runner last year was Alexander Madison, who had 420 rushing yards. It was Madison and

00:57Amir Abdullah in the backfield. The need at running back is significant. They clearly

01:02need to go and get a guy in Vegas. The Raiders brought in Raheem Mostert in free agency, who

01:09could be their starting running back. But obviously, with running back being such a strength of

01:14the 2025 draft class, you'd like to see the Raiders make a move. Everybody seems to think

01:20that Ashton Gentry at six overall is a shoe-in, but I'm not so sure. Even with the recent comments

01:26from Raiders general manager John Spitek. In a recent pre-draft interview, Spitek compared the

01:31impact that Ashton Gentry might have to what we saw Saquon Barkley do for the Eagles before they won the

01:39Super Bowl last season. Quote, I mean, we just saw Saquon Barkley just change the Eagles in one year,

01:45Spitek said during a Friday pre-draft news conference. There are certain ways to build a

01:50team, and I don't know where we got to a place where we don't feel like running backs are valued.

01:56I come from the University of Michigan, and those guys were certainly really valued there,

02:01so it's hard for me to get away from that. People seem to believe that this is pointing

02:06towards Spitek and the Raiders for sure taking a running back in the first round and for sure

02:11valuing Gentry more than most other teams, but I'm not so sure about that because the Raiders also

02:19have an offensive line problem, and as much as Spitek wants to point to Saquon Barkley last year,

02:26let's all remember what Saquon Barkley did with the Giants before he got to the Eagles.

02:32The Eagles were only able to unlock Saquon Barkley's true ability because they built an

02:37offensive line that was a well-oiled machine. You insert a really talented running back behind

02:43a solid starting five offensive lineman, and you're onto something, but you try and do the

02:49process backwards, and I'm not sure it makes a real difference. Last season, the Raiders had an

02:54abysmal rushing attack. They didn't have a single player on their offensive line in the top 10 at

03:00their position in run block win rate. They were 27 in the NFL as a team in run block win rate.

03:07They didn't help their running backs out at all, and really, their only off-season transaction on

03:13the offensive line was bringing in Alex Capa while losing Andre James in free agency.

03:19Now, let's go back to Spitek, who talked about being a Michigan man. Well, in the same pre-draft

03:26interview, he also talked about how being a Michigan man to my core instills an appreciation

03:33for building through the trenches. Winning up front with the big guys up front is what helps

03:39that running game flow. He knows that because this is exactly what he did in Tampa Bay, which

03:45helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl. For the Bucs, it has never been just Tristan Wirfs. They've had to

03:51build a solid starting five in order to have the best possible product for their entire offense,

03:56And that is what the Las Vegas Raiders need to try and repeat before they're in a place to go and get

04:03a player like Ashton Gentry. If I am Spitek in the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 NFL draft, I'm looking

04:10at Armand Membu or Will Campbell, hoping one of those top offensive line prospects falls to me at

04:16number six. And I'm looking at maybe getting a running back in the second or third round. We know how

04:22deep this draft class is at the running back position. So as talented, as special as Ashton

04:29Gentry might be, you can still get your guy and help your running game in the later rounds, but build

04:35through the trenches first. We'll see what they do in Green Bay later this week. For A to Z Sports,

04:41I'm Sam Phelan.

Category

Transcript

Recommended