2025 NFL Draft - Round 1
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Ashton Jeanty wasn't a top-five pick in the draft. But he was as close to that as he could be.

And he's going to be a force in a Raiders offense piloted by playcaller Chip Kelly and running back-loving coach Pete Carroll.

The Boise State product took a winding path to the NFL, from Florida to Italy to Dallas to Boise. But each step of the way he was dialed into playing football any way he could -- a multi-position player in high school (including a receiver in his first year playing in the states) and a stud rusher in college.

What makes him great? Not only is he rocked-up at 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds, but he's got uncommon agility for a bigger back. Moreover, he's got some of the rarest contact balance we've ever seen on a running back. He'll almost never get taken down by one defender and he'll tack on plen-tee of yards after contact. And if <i>that's</i> not enough, then maybe his second gear to speed away from defenders will convince you.

Jeanty is expected to be a workhorse back in the Raiders' zone-leaning scheme. He should play all three downs and be the primary consideration near the goal line. As a rookie, 300 touches is not out of the question, and expect a decent chunk of those touches as receptions.

He's going to be under heavy consideration to be a top-12 pick in PPR drafts and a top-10 pick in non-PPR drafts. Do not expect him to last until the middle of Round 2. No chance.

He'll get picked even sooner in keeper leagues, and he's a cinch to be the consensus 1.01 pick in rookie-only drafts, even if it's Superflex.

His arrival KO's the Fantasy value for other Raiders running backs like Raheem Mostert, Zamir White and Sincere McCormick. But you weren't drafting them anyway outside of your last few picks. That's where Mostert would land.