The Las Vegas Raiders might be one of the power-packed programs in the NFL. However, Pete Carroll’s $6.7 million giant still needs to add some oomph quotient. They had a very little explosion at a certain position in 2024. According to ESPN, the Raiders had just three runs of 20 or more yards, which was tied for the second fewest in the league. That’s when former NFL safety Ryan Clark offered some prime advice. To him, the 5,631-yard college football running back is going to be their messiah.

The Boise State Broncos running back didn’t have the perfect ending to his college football chapter, like he must have envisioned. Fans must remember the December 6th game when Ashton Jeanty ran for a 75-yard touchdown to help the Broncos go up 21-0 on UNLV. However, Jeanty had to feel the pain of Colorado dual-threat star Travis Hunter bagging the Heisman Trophy. But his stats and his skills make him an ideal package. Having already gotten the “Michael Myers” tag in college football, he dreamt of landing with the Arizona Cardinals. No, not just that he liked the coach or the GM or the program as a whole. Without naming any program, Jeanty just shared, “I could get down with Kyler [Murray].” But what made him choose Jonathan Gannon’s squad? “You know we’re going to be the shortest backfield in the NFL.” But the Cardinals are not in the race to land Jeanty.

He holds a strong resume of 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024. With this, he has been mocked to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6. Well, initially, the Raiders were highly mocked for pursuing a quarterback. But that’s no longer an option. They have brought in former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. Now, they also own picks Nos. 37, 68, and 108, among others. GM John Spytek doesn’t plan to force selections for the sake of organizational need. “If you start forcing players because you need them, you end up regretting that,” he said. “And you also can’t have enough good players in certain positions, too. Sometimes what doesn’t feel like a need right now becomes a need after one or two injuries during the season, and then you’re thankful you took this really good player.”  

So, Ryan Clark now offers his two cents and wants them to land Jeanty. After all, he is the one player who can immediately fix a giant gap in their offense. On the April 18th episode of the NFL on ESPN podcast, the ex-New York Giants star shared, “I think the first thing is obviously going to be Ashton Jeanty who many have mocked to the Raiders. Their run game was putrid. Josh Jacobs leaves for Green Bay and they couldn’t even start an offense because there was no run game to lead into the play-action. And he is…Ashton Jeanty is one of the true impact, blue-chip players in this draft.”

But what makes Clark hold so much confidence in the Broncos’ running back? Well, Jeanty is called a phenom for a reason. Over his three seasons at Boise State, he racked up 4,769 yards in rushing and 862 yards in receiving, making a total of 5,631 yards. The Raiders have added Raheem Mostert, but even then, they need help at the running back position. According to the analyst, Jeanty is the true three-down workhorse who can take the reins of Las Vegas’ backfield right away. However, the Raiders’ Spytek is trying to play it smart.

John Spytek pumps the brakes on the Ashton Jeanty hype train

Draft analyst Dane Brugler tried to create FOMO for the 32 NFL teams. On the Rich Eisen Show, he said, “Not every team is going to be comfortable drafting a running back that high. But Jeanty, when teams talk about him, they talk about him like Saquon Barkley and how we talked about Bijan Robinson. A guy that could be a true difference maker.” The stats did all the talking. Jeanty comes off with a breakaway percentage of 47.3% and 4.78. For Saquon Barkley, it’s 54.9% and 3.51, while Bijan Robinson holds a percentage of 43.3% and 4.40.

With this, the hype of Ashton Jeanty falling as the No.6 pick shoots up. However, Spytek is not the person who would buy into trends or hypes. He shared, “I’m going to be careful about talking about any specific player, but more broadly to the running back question: We just saw Saquon Barkley change the Eagles in one year. Now, they had a great team around him and added an elite player. And I think where we sit, the idea is to add elite players at any position.” What’s the crux of the quote?

Well, Saquon Barkley signed a $41.2 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, making him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. However, Spytek pointed out how the Eagles already had a great team around Barkley before adding him. “I don’t try to devalue any certain position. … There’s certain ways to build a team, and I don’t know where we got to a place where we don’t feel like running backs are valuable,” the 44-year-old said. It was clear what happened when Barkley played on a team that didn’t have the talent around him to make him look like the superstar he is. And that’s kind of the position the Raiders are in right now; they don’t have the elite roster to make a star back really shine. They have other needs that are far more pressing at positions where players can make a far greater impact on their ability to win games.

So, this might be a wake-up call for Jeanty. If the Broncos’ running back lands in Las Vegas, he will have to really use his skills to make a far greater impact on their ability to win games. Is Jeanty ready for the grind?