The Las Vegas Raiders are viewed as a team that could pick Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 in the draft next week. In fact, most draft pundits see it shaking out that way. In a draft without a ton of superstar prospects, Jeanty is a standout of the class, and a player that could instantly bring excitement to the dedicated Silver and Black fanbase.
If the Raiders are considering selecting Jeanty with their first-round pick, head coach Pete Carroll is ensuring they do not give any intel away. During the Raiders' pre-draft press conference, Spytek was asked a question about what makes Jeanty so special to potentially get drafted in the top-10. Before Spytek could answer the question, Carroll warned him, "Be careful."
In turn, Spytek did not specifically talk about Jeanty, but instead shared his thoughts on the running back position, noting he doesn't understand why that group has been devalued in recent years.
"I'm gonna be careful about talking about any specific player, but more broadly to the running back question, we just saw Saquon Barkley change the Eagles in one year. Now they had a great team around him, it was adding an elite player. When you sit where we sit, the idea is to add elite players at any position. I don't try to de-value any certain position. ... There's certain ways to build a team and I just don't know where we got to place where we don't feel running backs are valued. I come from the University of Michigan, and to my core, those guys are certainly really valued there."
#Raiders GM John Spytek gets asked a question about RB Ashton Jeanty:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 18, 2025
Pete Carroll leans in: “Be careful…” 😆
pic.twitter.com/EniYHmJfyH
Spytek has previously said that he's felt pressure to draft Jeanty from his son, Jack. "My son has made it no secret that if we don't pick Ashton Jeanty at No. 6 that he's walking out of the family and he's gonna find somebody else, probably whoever takes Ashton," Spytek told SiriusXM Radio earlier this month. "He walked right into our building and basically told [owner] Mark Davis 'If my dad doesn’t take Ashton Jeanty, he's doing a bad job.'"
Though the Raiders are a popular pick to draft Jeanty, they also have other needs they could opt to fill instead, particularly on the offensive line. With a deep running back class in this year's draft, Las Vegas could also turn to grab a back later in the draft.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pete Carroll Cautioned Raiders GM Before Answering Question About Ashton Jeanty.