Could Raiders draft Ashton Jeanty and Cam Skattebo?

We’re less than two weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft as the Las Vegas Raiders are busy bringing in prospects on Top 30 visits and fine-tuning their draft strategy. The draft is once again the focus of this week’s mailbag, so let’s get to it!  Q: What are your thoughts on drafting Ashton Jeanty and Cam Skattebo in the draft? A: I’m on the record of not being a fan of the Raiders taking Jeanty in the top 10, which kind of derails this scenario. But if the Raiders do take him at No. 6, I’d like to see them prioritize other spots on the roster throughout the rest of the draft rather than taking another running back. If I’m spending a premium pick on a running back, I’d want that guy to be my bell-cow rather than having him split carries. Also, Jeanty and Skattebo don’t complement each other that well since neither is known for their skills as a receiver out of the backfield. Getting a dynamic scatback to pair with either of those two would be a better fit, in my opinion. To be clear, I don’t think it’s out of the question for Las Vegas to draft two running backs later this month, but I think that’s a lot less likely if they use a Top 10 pick on one. Q: Rhett Lewis mocked Travis Hunter to the Raiders at number 2. Any chance this could actually happen? Because if the Raiders trade from 6, I think it would be more likely they trade down to accumulate picks. What is your sense? A: I touched on this scenario last week too. I have a hard time seeing the Raiders trading up in this year’s draft unless it’s for a quarterback and even that feels unlikely. They have a lot of holes to fill on defense and while Hunter could solve the cornerback problem, moving up to get him would cost at least one more pick/player who could fill another hole. I agree with you, trading back and acquiring more capital seems much more probable from John Spytek and Co. Q: Removing Cam Ward, rank the next five quarterbacks you think the Raiders should take.A: Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Will Howard and Jalen Milroe. I’m not Sanders’ biggest fan, but he’s still the unquestioned QB2 for me in this class. I’ve come around a bit on Dart to put him in the third spot and think a situation where he sits behind Geno Smith for a couple of years would be great for Dart, though I still wouldn’t take him earlier than round two. The decision between Shough and Howard is a tough one, I just think Shough has a better arm to work with. Milroe’s traits are intriguing, but his performances at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine are why he’s at the bottom of the list. Q: The timing of the Jack Jones release is interesting. It would seem to make more sense to wait until after his replacement is secured in the draft. Do you think he may have requested a trade or release due to this? A: The timing was definitely interesting and I could see Jones asking to be let go if he wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with the new coaching staff and front office. His connection with Antonio Pierce was the primary reason the Raiders picked him up in the first place. I also think what happened here was the organization wanted to get a better gauge of the cornerback class before moving on from Jones. Now that they’ve had the combine, pro days and a few visits, Spytek and Co. felt comfortable making the decision now. So, I’d expect Las Vegas to add at least one corner early in the draft. A: I’m a big fan of Walter Nolen’s game, but I still have him comfortably behind Mason Graham as DT2 and think he’d be a reach at No. 6. Trading back is certainly an option and that could put the Raiders in Nolen’s range/value. However, I get the feeling if they trade back it would be to target a need like safety or corner rather than making a move to add someone who would be more of a luxury pick. In my opinion, the most realistic way Nolen lands in Las Vegas is if he falls out of the first round. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that there are “maturity concerns” surrounding the Ole Miss product, so he could end up being one of those players who we see slide on night one. Q: The timing of the Jack Jones release is interesting. It would seem to make more sense to wait until after his replacement is secured in the draft. Do you think he may have requested a trade or release due to this? A: The timing was definitely interesting and I could see Jones asking to be let go if he wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with the new coaching staff and front office. His connection with Antonio Pierce was the primary reason the Raiders picked him up in the first place. I also think what happened here was the organization wanted to get a better gauge of the cornerback class before moving on from Jones. Now that they’ve had the combine, pro days and a few visits, Spytek and Co. felt comfortable making the decision now. So, I’d expect Las Vegas to add at least one corner early in the draft. A: I’m a big fan of Walter Nolen’s game, but I still have him comfortably behind Mason Graham as DT2 and think he’d be a reach at No. 6. Trading back is certainly an option and that could put the Raiders in Nolen’s range/value. However, I get the feeling if they trade back it would be to target a need like safety or corner rather than making a move to add someone who would be more of a luxury pick. In my opinion, the most realistic way Nolen lands in Las Vegas is if he falls out of the first round. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that there are “maturity concerns” surrounding the Ole Miss product, so he could end up being one of those players who we see slide on night one. Then the question would be if Pete Carroll and Syptek would be willing to work with a guy who might have off-the-field or character issues.