How Big of a Swing Should Raiders Take in Draft?

Should the Las Vegas Raiders make a bold move in the 2025 NFL Draft or play it safe?

Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders are preparing for the 2025 NFL Draft. 

New general manager John Spytek joins an organization that has 10 selections in the draft. He has a good eye for talent, building an impressive core with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

It is imperative for Spytek to find foundational talent for a Raiders team that has little. Brock Bowers needs a franchise quarterback to throw him the ball, a run game, and more perimeter options around him. 

The Raiders hold the No. 6 overall selection in the draft. The path to a franchise quarterback seems narrow because of who is at the top and where the Raiders sit. 

Rumors are swirling that the Tennessee Titans, who hold the No. 1 overall selection, are enamored with Miami star Cam Ward. That leaves only Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders with one quarterback-needy team in front of the Raiders. 

How big of a swing should the Raiders take in this class? Do they have to take one? 

If the Raiders want to trade up for Sanders, they would likely have to do so with the Cleveland Browns to leapfrog the New York Giants at No. 3. 

The Browns could move down and still land a great player like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, so they could be enticed by that idea. 

If the Raiders address their quarterback situation in free agency, they would not have to stress about it in the draft. It would allow them to focus their attention elsewhere. 

But what if the Raiders make a big swing, like at running back? 

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is the top running back in the class. Would the Raiders shock the NFL world by taking him at No. 6?

NFL.com’s Eric Edholm mocked Jeanty to the Silver and Black in a recent mock draft. 

On that pick, Edholm wrote:

“Pete Carroll blows up the draft! Why not? When everyone else is having trouble slotting Jeanty lower, I'll give him to the coach he was meant to play for.”

While it would be an unprecedented idea, it could make sense if Spytek believes Jeanty is the best player on the board, regardless of positional value. The Raiders need a dynamic running back to spark their run game.

The Raiders could also play it safe and select someone like Michigan’s Mason Graham or Will Johnson or land a dynamic receiver like Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan or Texas’ Matthew Golden. 

The Raiders need talent on both sides of the ball, no matter how they acquire it. The next few months will tell us how big of a swing the team will take in April.

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