Raiders GM John Spytek seemingly hints at which prospect team will draft with No. 6 overall pick

Raiders general manager John Spytek has given a major hint about which player the Las Vegas franchise will pick with their sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. At the NFL Annual League meeting, he joked that his son, Jack, has threatened to leave their family if he doesn't draft Ashton Jeanty.

Apparently, that decision is influenced by Jack's knowledge of Fantasy Football and the youngster has reportedly even told owner Mark Davis that his father would be doing a bad job if he fails to bring the running back to Las Vegas.

"My oldest son has made it no secret that if we don’t pick Ashton Jeanty at 6 that he’s walking out of the family and he's gonna find somebody else, probably whoever takes Ashton. Jack is motivated by fantasy football and touchdowns... He walked right into our building and basically told Mark Davis if my dad doesn’t take Ashton Jeanty, he's doing a bad job."

Why should Raiders GM John Spytek heed his son's advice?

While the reference to his son was presumably made tongue-in-cheek, there is no doubt that the Raiders need to improve their running game. They had two big issues in the 2024 season.

The first and obvious one was the lack of a competitive starting quarterback. They have tried to address that problem by bringing in Geno Smith. However, another issue was their running game.

They recorded 79.8 yards per game during the regular season. Not only was it the worst among all 32 teams, it was more than ten yards per match worse off than the Jets, who were the second-worst.

While Saquon Barkley's influence with the Eagles after leaving the New York Giants rightly made headlines as his record-breaking exploits helped Philadelphia win the Super Bowl, what has gone under the radar is how much Las Vegas missed Josh Jacobs.

Their former running back rocked up in Green Bay and was part of the reason why they finished with 146.8 rushing yards per game. It was the fifth-best return in the league.

John Spytek, therefore, needs a running back. Ashton Jeanty is the consensus-best player in that position in the 2025 NFL draft.

The teams above them are expected to take players in other areas to improve their roster, which might fit in nicely with the general manager's son's plans. It is expected to also go well with new head coach Pete Carroll, whose teams are known for their strong running game.