Raiders mock draft 2025: Trade nets Ashton Jeanty, more picks

Version 2.0 and post-combine 3-round look at Las Vegas’ venture in the NFL Draft

“I’m just ‘bout that action, boss.”

The immortal words from running back Marshawn Lynch as he and the Seattle Seahawks made the media rounds before Super Bowl XLVIII. Which, by the way, was a 43-8 beatdown of a lifetime by Seattle to the Denver Broncos.

Why reference that?

Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll are most certainly ‘bout that action, boss. A week ago, I scribbled about how actions would speak louder than words for the Silver & Black’s new power combo, and have they brought some serious action to match said words.

Inking Maxx Crosby to a rich contract extension, signing free agent offensive lineman Alex Cappa, bringing back safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, and then trading with the Seahawks to land quarterback Geno Smith, Spytek, Carroll, and minority owner Tom Brady are not sitting on their collective laurels.

Free agency is mere days away and then, later next month, it’s 2025 NFL Draft time. Thus, Version 2.0 of my mock draft. The initial version was a pre-combine venture that netted building blocks in the trenches.

Let’s see what this one has in store, shall we?

Round 1

No. 6 overall: Trade!

This was a dilemma selection as Colorado quarterback Shedur Sanders was there for the taking, but the Dallas Cowboys came calling offering the 12th, 44th, and a 2026 second-round pick to move up to six. I didn’t hesitate. Additional second round picks in the 2025 and 2026 draft were too good to pass up.

And yes, the Cowboys took Sanders.

No. 12 overall: Ashton Jeanty, Running Back, Boise State

Dropping six spots down and staring at a cornerback — Texas’ Jahdae Barron — I this tailback’s “slide” down the draft board by taking him 12th. With Smith in tow as QB1, Jeanty gives the Raiders a workhorse running back that is compact (5-foot-8 ¹⁄₂ and 211 pounds at he NFL Combine) but who has the balance, power, and speed to be an elusive and violent ball carrier.

Jeanty is a nightmare to tackle one-on-one and he keeps churning his feet and while his route running as a pass catcher and ball security need to improve, he’s a dynamic weapon in the backfield. He can also pass protect — which will help Smith and the Raiders offense tremendously.

Round 2

No. 37 overall: Grey Zabel, Offensive Guard, North Dakota State

Don’t let the small-school pedigree fool you. Like Cappa (who came form my alma mater Humboldt State; now Cal Poly Humboldt), Zabel has the physical and mental skillset to make an impact in the NFL.

At 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds, Zabel has position versatility up front but has the makings of a guard in the pros. He has the strength to anchor while the feet to drive blockers back in the run game. He’s got a nasty demeanor too, that mirrors what Raiders 2024 draft pick Jackson Powers-Johnson brings to the table.

Smith was sacked 50 times as the starting quarterback for Seattle last season so reinforcing the offensive line should be a priority for Las Vegas.

No. 44 overall: Kenneth Grant, Defensive Tackle, Michigan

Standing at 6-foot-4 and 331 pounds, this Wolverine is an interior defensive lineman you can plop right in the middle and become an immovable object. A much more refined run stopper than pass rusher at this junction, Grant would be an ideal tag team partner to Christian Wilkins as a nose tackle-type.

Quickness and power are Grant’s calling cards right now as he’s vicious and violent in-fighter with his hands and lower body at the point of attack. His highest of highs in college are impressive but the lows are eye-popping, too.

But learning from Wilkins and Crosby will help refine this monstrous prospect even further.

Round 3

No. 68 overall: Will Howard, Quarterback, Ohio State

Aptly described by NFL analyst Lance Zierlein as “more a vessel of the play-caller than a playmaking talent”, the Raiders do another reunion this time bringing in the signal caller that flourished under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly during the Buckeyes’ national championship 2024 campaign.

The 6-foot-4 and 236-pound Howard had an exponential explosion in production under Kelly and has the size and tools teams want from a quarterback. Poised in the pocket and is accurate, Howard needs to be able to read the entire field in the pros. And is more than capable as an escape artist and scrambler with his legs. And in a competition in the Raiders quarterback room, Howard has the chance to push the entire group.

While some noted he had a down combine, our Matt Holder got to see Howard and provided his own insight.