For a while, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has been the apple of the collective eye of Las Vegas Raiders fans.
Everything about drafting him with the sixth overall pick made perfect sense. The Raiders had the worst rushing game in the league last season, and Jeanty was the prospect the Raiders seemed to scout the heaviest. Despite valid arguments about positional value, it almost seemed inevitable that Jeanty would become Pete Carroll’s new workhorse back.
However, questions have now stirred about Jeanty’s availability just days before the draft.
There is now a chance Jeanty is not available for the Raiders to select at sixth overall.
The Jacksonville Jaguars hold the fifth overall pick just above the Raiders, and rumors have begun to swirl that they see Jeanty as the missing piece for their offense.
The Jacksonville Jaguars believe RB Ashton Jeanty is “the missing piece to their offense,” per @TonyPauline
There is a “distinct possibility” Jeanty is taken 5th overall by Jacksonville pic.twitter.com/LuZzH6dj1R
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) April 22, 2025
Recent odds have shifted to reflect this thinking as well. According to DraftKings, while the Raiders remain the current favorite at +100 odds to draft Jeanty, the Jaguars are close behind at +135 odds.
While the information is coming from reputable sources, it is still interesting to see the team directly in front of the Raiders targeting the prospect they want with such little time left before the draft.
The Jaguars have been primarily linked to Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, so there is a possibility that new general manager James Gladstone thinks he can get him and squeeze an extra pick out of another team simultaneously. Plus, Jeanty does not make much sense of a team that already has two running backs with 1,000-yard seasons under their belts in Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne. While Jacksonville could certainly trade Etienne to make room, the difference between the cost of either move seems miniscule.
It is risky to try and dispel potential smokescreens, but the Raiders will have to keep their wits about them to avoid falling right where Jacksonville clearly wants them.
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