The Las Vegas Raiders have had a busy offseason. They hired Pete Carroll to replace Antonio Pierce, its former head coach. The team then traded for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, reuniting him with Carroll.
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Over this past weekend, Las Vegas beefed up its roster with its 11 total draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Their draft was highlighted by Heisman runner-up running back Ashton Jeanty.
The Raiders made some interesting late picks in the draft, drafting three FCS players, including Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott. Mellott is an interesting pick because the team views him as a gadget player.
General Manager John Spytek and director of college scouting Brandon Yeargan said in their post-draft presser that they view Mellott as a wide receiver and utility player.
Speaking on his podcast, ‘The Rush With Maxx Crosby’ the Raiders’ star defensive end spoke about Mellott’s versatility and thinks he can be a Julian Edelman kind of player for the Raiders.
“We draft two quarterbacks, one of them is going to be a receiver [referring to Mellott],” said Crosby. “They’re going to use him in a lot of different ways. You look at that pick you’re like you can see the Tom Brady influence. This kid is the Julian Edelman type-player. Freaky, freaky athletic.”
In four seasons playing for Montana State, Mellott has three receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, he has 2,847 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns. He has one less career rushing touchdown than passing touchdowns (39.)
Interestingly, Crosby was also pleased with other Raiders signings, including that of Ashton Jeanty.
Maxx Crosby reacts to the Las Vegas Raiders selecting Ashton Jeanty
To start off their 2025 NFL Draft, Las Vegas selected Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty had one of the most historic seasons ever in college football history this past year. He rushed for the second-most yards all-time in a single-season (2,601) and ran for 29 touchdowns.
Days before the draft, there were many reports that suggested that the Jacksonville Jaguars would select Jeanty. They traded up to pick No. 2 with the Cleveland Browns and selected Travis Hunter. This allowed the Raiders to draft the best running back in this year’s draft.
Understandably, Crosby was hyped about the team drafting Jeanty. He said he knew there was a chance that he could have been drafted elsewhere but was happy that the cards fell in the right place that allowed the Raiders to draft him.
Jeanty joins a Raiders offense that desperately needed help in the run game. The Raiders finished last in rushing yards last season and had the lowest average for yards per carry. Jeanty is expected to increase those numbers this season for Las Vegas.
With Brady and Carroll making some sound decisions, fans can expect the Raiders to battle it out like how Los Angeles Chargers did last year in the same division.
