Did the Raiders Draft the Next OROY?

The Las Vegas Raiders have to feel great about their 2025 NFL draft class. They did an excellent job of addressing their biggest needs while also building up a foundation for sustained success for years to come.

Of course, their biggest takeaway from the draft is that they walked away with a generational talent at running back and have set up their offense in a way so that he could thrive. Ashton Jeanty, after months of speculation, is officially a Raider.

He is going to take this offense to the next level, and not only will he make them a better team next year, but unless he suffers from injuries, he'll make them a perennial playoff team every year he's healthy.

I don't think there's been a better running back prospect since Saquon Barkley, and he is coming off a year where he helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl victory. Their running back room hasn't been this dynamic since Josh Jacobs was carrying the ball for the Raiders, and something tells me they won't allow Jeanty to walk in free agency.

Pete Carroll loves to incorporate heavy run schemes into his offense, and Jeanty has demonstrated throughout his time with the Boise State Broncos that every time he's given the ball, he can make something happen.

Given his expected usage rate to be among the highest of all incoming rookies, there's a high likelihood the Raiders drafted the next OROY. The last time the Raiders won this award was in 1982 when they were the Los Angeles Raiders, and they drafted Marcus Allen, who was also a running back.

It's impossible to anticipate any injuries or if other players will step up, but there should be no reason why Jeanty doesn't take the award next season. The Raiders just had an OROY finalist in Brock Bowers, but he lost the award to Jayden Daniels.

That's the only way I see Jeanty missing out on the award as well, if Cam Ward goes nuclear and propels the Tennessee Titans to a playoff spot. Otherwise, Jeanty is set up well with a young offensive line and a head coach who's willing to let his offense flow through him, and his chances of being the OROY next year are high.

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