Ashton Jeanty Trade Reportedly Eyed by 'a Lot of Teams' During NFL Draft 2025

Former Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was the target of general managers trying to move up in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Russini reported on her Scoop City podcast "there were a lot of teams calling up and that was the guy they were calling after." She said the conversations happened the night before the draft and then as the first round was unfolding.

The Las Vegas Raiders rendered all of those discussions moot when they selected Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick.

Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reported the Chicago Bears made "made exploratory but purposeful calls to gauge trade-up possibilities" with the Heisman Trophy runner-up in mind. However, general manager Ryan Poles "couldn't justify the price tag for jumping ahead of the Raiders at No. 6, even with the Browns open for business on trades at No. 5."

Using a top-10 pick on a running back is already paying a premium in the current market.

Saquon Barkley was instrumental in the Philadelphia Eagles winning a Super Bowl, but there are still limits to how much a running back, even an elite one, can impact a game on his own.

Sacrificing additional draft capital in order to take the Raiders' place or leapfrog them into the top five would've been a steep cost.

Jeanty was the No. 6 overall player on Bleacher Report's final big board, with B/R NFL scout Dame Parson comparing him to three-time Pro Bowler Maurice Jones-Drew.

Even assuming Jeanty makes an immediate impact in Las Vegas, making an aggressive play to land him wouldn't have been the best use of resources.