Ashton Jeanty was one of the select few blue-chip prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he plays running back, a position that has been devalued in recent years. However, it seems to be making a comeback now, and Jeanty was the latest to take advantage of that resurgence.
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He was selected No. 6 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 NFL Draft. It was a coup for both him and the brotherhood of running backs as a whole. Since 2019, only eight RBs had been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, and Jeanty became just the second, after Bijan Robinson, to be taken in the top 10.
Based on what had happened across the league during the portion of the offseason leading up to the draft in late April, Jeanty’s landing spot was one of the clearest: Las Vegas. Though Jeanty downplays the importance of mock drafts, most of them correctly predicted that he would land in Sin City.
So, what really convinced him? It was a series of personal calls from team leaders ahead of the draft.
“I feel like I really knew. There were a few different signs. Mock drafts are obviously fake, but every mock draft was like, Raiders. So I was like, okay. But then Maxx Crosby hit me the day before. And then Pete Carroll and Coach [Deland] McCullough, the running backs coach, they called me probably like a week before,” the RB revealed on an episode of St. Brown Podcast.
Jeanty also went into what head coach Pete Carroll and running backs coach Deland McCullough discussed with him when they called. They were essentially feeling him out.
They pointed out one of his few weaknesses—fumbling, which he did 11 times, including four in his final year at Boise State. This was to see how he would respond and whether he was willing to take constructive criticism even after his 2,600-yard season in 2024. He was.
“They were talking about my fumbles, because I had a lot of fumbles in college, I had 11 career fumbles. And they were like, ‘Hey man, is this something we can fix?’ Kinda questioning me. And I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I’ma fix it.’ (Laughs) And then kinda after that call, I was like, ‘Okay, if I’m on the board at six, I think they’re coming to get me for sure.'”
The Raiders did more than just draft Jeanty, they also made him the highest-paid rookie RB in history. They handed the military brat a four-year, fully guaranteed $35,895,812 contract that pays him $8,973,953 a year and included a $22,746,044 signing bonus. Jeanty was as shocked as anyone when he first saw the numbers.
“I saw that too, and I was like, ‘What!?’ Like, there’s no way. But, I just feel like that just shows that the position, guys should be getting paid more. But also, I put that work in, and obviously they saw something in me so. I wouldn’t say it’s added pressure, but obviously everybody’s expecting me to come in and play like that so. I worked hard to get here, and honestly, that’s what I want.”
The deal instantly makes him one of the highest-paid backs in football. Among RBs, his total contract value ranks him sixth, his AAV ranks 11th, and his total guaranteed money ranks second, behind only Saquon Barkley.
Ashton Jeanty will have every chance to live up to the high expectations of his draft pedigree and contract value. Carroll loves to lean on the ground game on offense, which is why they’ve invested so heavily in the Boise State star. From 2012 to 2019, his Seahawks were top four in rushing yards in six of eight seasons. Expect a similar run on the Vegas Strip with Jeanty and Carroll combining forces.
