The Las Vegas Raiders have already had an exciting offseason, and the 2025 NFL Draft is still a month away. Las Vegas brought in Pete Carroll as head coach and traded for QB Geno Smith. Both of these moves have given Raiders fans optimism ahead of the 2025 season. One ESPN analyst has the Raiders making a surprising pick in the first round of his latest mock draft.
ESPN’s Matt Miller has the Raiders passing on Ashton Jeanty in his latest seven-round mock draft.
Instead, Miller has the Raiders picking up Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the sixth overall pick.
“Ashton Jeanty has been a popular pick here in mocks, but have you seen the Raiders’ wide receiver depth chart? Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly will want to run the ball, but they didn’t trade a third-round pick for quarterback Geno Smith to have him hand the ball off 35 times per game,” Miller wrote. “The Raiders need receivers more than running backs, and new general manager John Spytek might determine that he can wait and pick from a deep running back class later.”
Miller also noted that this year’s draft class is not especially deep at receiver. As a result, the Raiders probably need to use their first-round pick on a receiver if they want to add a difference-maker.
McMillan does have some question marks, including a poor 4.55-second forty-yard dash that has some scouts concerned about his draft stock.
The Raiders do not have much at the wide receiver position beyond Jakobi Meyers. Therefore, using a premium pick on McMillan is a very defensible decision, even if it means passing on a player like Jeanty.
Raiders add running back in second round after passing on Ashton Jeanty
The Raiders may have passed on Ashton Jeanty, but they did not waste much time before picking another running back in the second round.
Miller has Las Vegas swiping up Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson with the 37th overall pick. He explains one important coaching connection that suggests the Raiders may prioritize bringing him in.
“New Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly coached Henderson last season and knows what he can bring to the offense as a slashing runner, elite receiver and top pass protector,” Miller wrote.
Henderson would project as the day one starter at running back in Las Vegas. The Raiders brought in Raheem Mostert in free agency, who could likely spell Henderson from time to time.
“He’d be penciled in as a Day 1 starter alongside Geno Smith, Brock Bowers and Tetairoa McMillan to form a fun offensive nucleus,” Miller concluded.
The Raiders also bring in Ohio State QB Will Howard and Virginia Tech WR Da’Quan Felton in the later rounds to add to their offense.
Las Vegas could become a much more competitive team in 2025 if they get this type of draft haul in real life.