With steam picking up that the Las Vegas Raiders will trade for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the chances they draft a quarterback in the first round are quickly diminishing. A trade for Stafford means the Raiders are all-in on making a Super Bowl run in the next two to three years.
I've been very critical of the idea of the Raiders using the No. 6 pick on Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty but many seem to be on board. A Stafford trade certainly makes that more appealing. Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus went through and named an ideal draft pick for every NFL team.
He believes that Jeanty is the ideal choice for the Raiders.
"John Spytek spoke at the NFL Combine about his desire to emulate the roster construction of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who boasted a strong defense up front and leaned on the run game," Cameron wrote. "While it might seem crazy to pin down a running back before the quarterback position is situated, this rebuild is a multi-year project.
"Adding a generational talent at running back like Ashton Jeanty would undoubtedly fit the bill. This would presumably be the ceiling pick for Jeanty, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities that the Raiders attempt to move back a few picks — staying in front of Dallas — to gain more ammo for their rebuild and still be positioned to scoop up Jeanty."
Jeanty would certainly fill a need but this running back class is deep and there are so many other needs on the roster. I'd rather see the Raiders add Mason Graham or Tetairoa McMillan but it's hard to know what Spytek is going to do. At the very least, Las Vegas is a team to watch for Jeanty in the draft.