Latest Mock Gives Insight Into Why Jeanty Works

The Las Vegas Raiders need a running back and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty is the best available, by far, in the upcoming NFL Draft.

CBS Sports' Garrett Podell released a new mock draft, and the Raiders stick to Jeanty. His reasoning is simple -- head coach Pete Carroll is known for running the ball and he wants to re-establish the Raiders as a powerful team on the ground. They were 32nd in the league in 2024.

"New Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is recreating the Seahawks in Las Vegas," wrote Podell. "Geno Smith is his quarterback once again after the Raiders sent a 2025 third-round pick the Seahawks' way, and the team's new extension for him locks him down in Las Vegas through the 2027 season. Now, Carroll gets his new Marshawn Lynch in Ashton Jeanty, a true bell cow fresh off rushing for the second-most yards in Division I history (2,601, just 28 yards behind Barry Sanders' all-time record)."

Carroll's track record of Lynch, Kenneth Walker, Reggie Bush, and seem to preview how he would handle a talent like Jeanty, considered by many to be a generational talent and the best running back prospect since Saquon Barkley.

Per a scouting report from the NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, Jeanty is comparable to Hall of Fame ball carrier LaDainian Tomlinson:

"Jeanty plays a position that has become devalued on draft day, but his unique talent and the resurgence of the run game in the NFL should force teams to reconsider that factor when weighing his value. He’s the ultimate yardage creator, with the talent and skill set to succeed independent of the quality of his blocking. Jeanty’s speed forces linebackers to flow hard outside, creating cutback lanes and chunk runs, while his vision, balance and elusiveness get it done along the interior. The threat of what he can do on the ground should create ideal play-action opportunities for his team, allowing his next play-caller to, say, unburden a young quarterback or any other passer being asked to shoulder too much of the offense. He’s compact and muscular, but there could be some minor concern surrounding his massive workload in 2024. This top-flight running back is capable of becoming the face of an offense in a league where the pendulum might be swinging back to the running game. Jeanty has future All-Pro talent."

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