Just Draft Baby

When I first bought the domain names for RaidersReporter.com and RaiderReporter.com, I had no idea it would take me this long to write my first blog post. The Oakland Raiders were becoming the Las Vegas Raiders back in 2020, which was reason enough to celebrate, as Sin City was finally getting its own NFL team. But alas, here we are five years later, and following numerous twists and turns, including four coaching changes, there is finally a lot to be excited about for Raider Nation heading into kickoff of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 24, 2025.

As I prepare to attend my first Draft Party courtesy of being a season-ticket holder of the Las Vegas Raiders, I can’t help but wonder if the hype around selecting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is real or not. While I truly wish it was real, and the Raiders will pick him at No. 6 in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, I honestly do not think Jeanty will be the selection. The Jacksonville Jaguars — who pick one spot ahead of Las Vegas — are linked to the local kid as well and make a ton of sense considering how poorly fellow running backs Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby performed last season. The Jacksonville native Jeanty is a difference-maker at the position and would definitely help Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence to balance out his team’s offense.

Of course the same can be said for the Raiders and new QB Geno Smith under their first-year head coach Pete Carroll, who values RBs immensely. It just seems too good to be true for Las Vegas to pick Jeanty. And that is not necessarily a bad thing considering Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham would likely slip to the Raiders and give their new GM John Spytek exactly the type of player he covets in an effort to build a strong defense.

If you put Graham next to veteran Christian Wilkins inside on the defensive line and have All-Pro Maxx Crosby and a healthy Malcolm Koonce on the ends, then Las Vegas potentially has something special. Sure, Jeanty is the flashy pick who I could get really amped up about along with many more members of Raider Nation.

However, Graham is the better selection in this spot due to the fact that he could give Las Vegas a true strength, literally putting even more pressure on the other QBs in the AFC West, including Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos. I already bet the Raiders to select a defensive lineman/edge with their first pick at +1100 (bet $100 to win $1,100) at BetMGM, so let’s hope the Jaguars take Jeanty, or another team trades up to No. 5 because they want him badly enough.

Many will look at the success of the Philadelphia Eagles with All-Pro RB Saquon Barkley and say Jeanty is the answer, but Spytek and fellow Michigan alum Tom Brady know the defensive line was the deciding factor against Mahomes in the last Super Bowl. Spytek helped create a dominant defense prior to Brady’s final Super Bowl run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and now he has a chance to do the same thing for Smith and Carroll. Remember, Carroll also won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks thanks to a defense built through the draft.