Raiders Don't Need 1st Round to Find Gold in Run Game

The Las Vegas Raiders want to fix a league-worst rushing attack with the 2025 NFL Draft. They don't need Boise State's Ashton Jeanty for a quick fix.
Nov 23, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA;  Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) rushes during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) rushes during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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The Las Vegas Raiders need a staff before they look to the NFL Draft.

That being said, a major point of concern for the Silver and Black's offense was a league-worst run game that failed to extend drives, finish drives, and allow the Raiders to get to favorable second and third downs.

The 2024 NFL season saw a resurgence of the rushing attack beyond the dominant campaigns posted by Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley and Baltimore's Derrick Henry. In his year off from the game, the Raiders' Pete Carroll made it a point to watch from the outside.

"Hey, I wouldn't be competing if I wasn't learning," Carroll said during his Monday introduction. "That's the whole point. You've got to stay curious and make sure that you're always on the next opportunity to be a little bit better."

Now, Carroll is no stranger to a strong rushing attack; at USC, he had Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and in Seattle it was Marshawn Lynch carrying the rock. One of his last, key draft picks for the Seahawks was running back Kenneth Walker III out of Michigan State.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that Carroll takes a high-end ball carrier in 2025 to inject some life into the ground game. The name at the top of the big boards is Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, who is fresh off a 2,601-yard, 29-touchdown performance in 2024. The Raiders could strongly consider taking Jeanty, but there is still the possibility they end up wanting to take a signal caller.

Even if quarterback is off the table, they could take a weapon to pair with generational tight end Brock Bowers, who made first-team All-Pro and rewrote the NFL's record books in his first season. Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona and wide receiver Luther Burden III of Missouri could be the move.

If the Raiders opt to go another position with their first-round selection, they have Iowa's Kaleb Johnson as a viable pick in the second round. Johnson might be RB No. 1 in any other draft -- he has all the tools and traits the NFL loves in a back, and ESPN's Matt Miller recently rated him the No. 34 overall prospect.

"Johnson made the most of his first full season as a starter with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns," Miller wrote. "The powerful, downhill runner keeps defenders guessing with good short-area agility and a devastating stiff arm. He added 936 yards after first contact this season -- seventh-most in the FBS -- and enters the NFL with limited wear-and-tear after only 240 carries this season and 508 in his college career."

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