Bruce Feldman predicts Raiders to ditch Ashton Jeanty and draft 6'1", 243-pound Georgia LB with No. 6 overall pick
The Las Vegas Raiders are the prohibitive favorites to select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in this month's draft, given their struggles in the ground game in the 2024 season. However, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic predicts a surprising twist.
His latest mock draft sees head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek going for versatile Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, who exploded for 61 tackles (38 solo), 6.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries and pass deflections each as a senior.
Two anonymous offensive assistants in the SEC allegedly call him "explosive" and "super twitchy", despite being undersized at 6-foot-1 with 32-inch arms, a Will Anderson Jr.-esque "problem," capable of operating off the ball and can also pass-rush on third downs:
Assistant 1: “He was the best defensive player we saw all year... I think this guy is a complete stud.”
Assistant 2: “He killed our (starting offensive tackle), and that kid is a really talented player who’s also gonna play in the NFL.”
Feldman, however, is not alone in predicting such a move. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein makes the same prediction in his latest mock draft:
"Walker is a hybrid edge/linebacker with the talent and football character to be a building block for the Raiders' current reset."
While surprising, the move makes sense given the Raiders lost their top two linebackers in Robert Spillane (who was their leading tackler in the last two seasons) and Divine Deablo to the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, respectively. They did sign Devin White and Elandon Roberts to fill the voids, but are also looking to add depth behind them.
Former Raiders GM has bold comparison for Jalon Walker
Sticking to the subject of the Raiders, their former general manager, Mike Mayock, had a bold comparison for Jalon Walker on an episode of Rich Eisen's eponymous show last week:
"Every tape I watched, I have Micah Parsons. He reminds me so much of Micah Parsons when he came out of Penn State."
He continued:
"I think the only limitation is a defensive coordinator with lack of creativity, because this kid can play all over the ball. And if you have to chase a guy like Jayden Daniels on the field, this is the kid I want doing it."
The 2025 NFL draft will take place at Green Bay's Lambeau field from April 24 to 26, with the event primarily airing on ESPN.