After finishing the 2024 season with a 4-13 record and in fourth place in the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders decided to make some big changes in the offseason.
First, they fired general manager Tom Telesco and head coach Antonio Pierce and replaced them with John Spytek and Pete Carroll, respectively. Then, they acquired quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks for a third-round pick (No. 92 overall) before giving him a two-year, $75 million extension earlier this week.
While these changes should give Las Vegas more success in the 2025 season, the team still needs more if they want to reach their potential.
Luckily, in less than a month, the Raiders will have an opportunity to add young, talented players through the NFL draft, and their poor showing last year has left them with the seventh pick in the first round and the fifth pick (No. 37 overall) in the second.
On Friday, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter put together a five-round mock draft, and he predicted Las Vegas will use their first selection on Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and their second on Ole Miss wide receiver Luther Burden III.
Jeanty, 21, played high school football at Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, before committing to Boise State for the 2022 season. Over the last three seasons, Jeanty rushed for 4,769 yards and 50 touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry and caught 80 passes for another 862 yards and six scores.
Follow The Jugo Mobile on WhatsApp
The running back earned All-Mountain West, Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and All-American honors twice. He won the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy this past year.
Burden, 21, played football and basketball at East St. Louis Senior High School in St. Louis, Missouri, before committing to the University of Missouri for the 2022 season.
Over the last three years, Burden appeared in 38 games, catching 192 passes for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding another 234 yards and four scores on 6.9 yards per attempt. The wideout also earned First-team All-SEC honors in each of the last two years.
Jeanty and Burden could take over as the team’s top running back and wide receiver as rookies and give Smith two valuable weapons to make his life easier in 2025 and beyond. If this is how the board breaks, Spytek and Carroll would probably be thrilled.
MORE RAIDERS NEWS
Raiders’ Hall of Famer gives expert opinion on Travis Hunter’s two-way future in NFL
Raiders target sleeper QB from quarterback factory in NFL Draft
Proposed Raiders trade package for $90M superstar includes wide receiver, pick swaps
Surprising AFC team named best landing spot for Shedeur Sanders
