Sam Phalen speculates on what the Las Vegas Raiders will do with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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00:00It's NFL Draft Week, and I just have to talk about running back Ashton Gentry, who everybody
00:06believes is going to go to the Las Vegas Raiders with the number six overall pick, even using
00:12quotes from Raiders general manager John Spitek for a reason why the Raiders are tipping their
00:17hand. But I think everybody has this all wrong. I don't think Spitek is zeroed in on Gentry,
00:25and I think it would be a little silly for the Raiders to take a running back in this year's
00:29draft. For A to Z Sports, to break it all down, I'm Sam Phelan.
00:36No team has been tied to superstar running back Ashton Gentry more than the Las Vegas Raiders
00:43ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. And on paper, the fit makes a lot of sense. I mean, the Raiders'
00:50leading runner last year was Alexander Madison, who had 420 rushing yards. It was Madison and
00:57Amir Abdullah in the backfield. The need at running back is significant. They clearly
01:02need to go and get a guy in Vegas. The Raiders brought in Raheem Mostert in free agency, who
01:09could be their starting running back. But obviously, with running back being such a strength of
01:14the 2025 draft class, you'd like to see the Raiders make a move. Everybody seems to think
01:20that Ashton Gentry at six overall is a shoe-in, but I'm not so sure. Even with the recent comments
01:26from Raiders general manager John Spitek. In a recent pre-draft interview, Spitek compared the
01:31impact that Ashton Gentry might have to what we saw Saquon Barkley do for the Eagles before they won the
01:39Super Bowl last season. Quote, I mean, we just saw Saquon Barkley just change the Eagles in one year,
01:45Spitek said during a Friday pre-draft news conference. There are certain ways to build a
01:50team, and I don't know where we got to a place where we don't feel like running backs are valued.
01:56I come from the University of Michigan, and those guys were certainly really valued there,
02:01so it's hard for me to get away from that. People seem to believe that this is pointing
02:06towards Spitek and the Raiders for sure taking a running back in the first round and for sure
02:11valuing Gentry more than most other teams, but I'm not so sure about that because the Raiders also
02:19have an offensive line problem, and as much as Spitek wants to point to Saquon Barkley last year,
02:26let's all remember what Saquon Barkley did with the Giants before he got to the Eagles.
02:32The Eagles were only able to unlock Saquon Barkley's true ability because they built an
02:37offensive line that was a well-oiled machine. You insert a really talented running back behind
02:43a solid starting five offensive lineman, and you're onto something, but you try and do the
02:49process backwards, and I'm not sure it makes a real difference. Last season, the Raiders had an
02:54abysmal rushing attack. They didn't have a single player on their offensive line in the top 10 at
03:00their position in run block win rate. They were 27 in the NFL as a team in run block win rate.
03:07They didn't help their running backs out at all, and really, their only off-season transaction on
03:13the offensive line was bringing in Alex Capa while losing Andre James in free agency.
03:19Now, let's go back to Spitek, who talked about being a Michigan man. Well, in the same pre-draft
03:26interview, he also talked about how being a Michigan man to my core instills an appreciation
03:33for building through the trenches. Winning up front with the big guys up front is what helps
03:39that running game flow. He knows that because this is exactly what he did in Tampa Bay, which
03:45helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl. For the Bucs, it has never been just Tristan Wirfs. They've had to
03:51build a solid starting five in order to have the best possible product for their entire offense,
03:56And that is what the Las Vegas Raiders need to try and repeat before they're in a place to go and get
04:03a player like Ashton Gentry. If I am Spitek in the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 NFL draft, I'm looking
04:10at Armand Membu or Will Campbell, hoping one of those top offensive line prospects falls to me at
04:16number six. And I'm looking at maybe getting a running back in the second or third round. We know how
04:22deep this draft class is at the running back position. So as talented, as special as Ashton
04:29Gentry might be, you can still get your guy and help your running game in the later rounds, but build
04:35through the trenches first. We'll see what they do in Green Bay later this week. For A to Z Sports,
04:41I'm Sam Phelan.