There is absolutely no question that Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is the most coveted running back in a class that is chock-full of of playmakers at that position. For the longest time, Dallas Cowboys fans were getting mock draft fatigue with Ashton Jeanty being penciled into the 12th overall pick, but now they might be longing for those days of yore.
Gone are the days where the Cowboys are just going to automatically be able to get Jeanty because the Boise State running back's stock has been soaring over the last two months. He's now considered much more likely to go within the top five or six picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Cowboys might be getting blatantly baited into trading up to take him (if they really want him).
The Las Vegas Raiders own the 6th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and are the new "Cowboys" when it comes to people just penciling Jeanty into their pick slot in mock draft predictions, and likely for good reason.
The Raiders have a new GM on the job in John Spytek, who is coming to Las Vegas from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is working with Pete Carroll, who historically loves to run the ball. He's also got his son apparently giving him the business about even thinking of passing on Jeanty with the 6th overall pick...
Raiders could be baiting the Cowboys to trade up for Ashton Jeanty
#Raiders GM John Spytek: “My son has made it no secret that if we don’t pick Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 that he’s walking out of the family and he's gonna find somebody else. … He basically told Mark Davis if my dad doesn’t take him he’s doing a bad job.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/RMusArRywO
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 2, 2025
This might be a clear message from the new Raiders GM that his team is actually just going to pick Jeanty with the 6th overall selection, or he's putting this out there publicly as a way to say, "If you want Jeanty, you better jump into the 5th overall slot."
It's a great chess move by Spytek because it's possible he is trying to push Shedeur Sanders to his team with that 6th overall pick. The more non-QBs that go ahead of the Raiders' pick, the better shot they might have at pairing a QB of the future (Sanders) with their QB of the present (Geno Smith).
There is a dropoff from Ashton Jeanty to Omarion Hampton, who has become a new very popular pick in mock drafts for the Dallas Cowboys. Hampton is a fine player whose athletic traits he displayed at the NFL Scouting Combine are absolutely off the charts. He's got the ability to be a good RB1 in the NFL but Jeanty is a special player who is widely considered a top-five talent in this year's class.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys just saw the impact Saquon Barkley made for the Eagles on their Super Bowl run, and perhaps they would feel a move up the board for Jeanty could give them something similar and be that missing piece in the offense.
If they feel that way, the Raiders are making it known that they are going to need an offer they can't refuse in order to pass on him, or teams like the Cowboys are going to have to jump in front of them.