The Las Vegas Raiders had the league's worst rushing attack last season (79.8 yards per game; 3.6 yards per carry), and their running backs combined for just seven touchdowns on the ground. An overhaul of the depth chart has sort of started, with Alexander Mattison gone in free agency and Zamir White somewhere on the trade block.
It's also a deep running back draft class this year, which theoretically allows the Raiders to address other needs with the sixth overall pick (and perhaps beyond) before taking one. While Ashton Jeanty would be nice, and members of the Raiders' brass are right to like him, there's no need to force taking him at No. 6 unless they think he's far and away the best running back in this draft.
The Raiders have two more picks in the top-70 overall (No. 37 and No. 68), so they can pass on a running back at No. 6 and still get someone who can immediately help what can only be an improved ground game.
Raiders seem to have a no-brainer running back option on Day 2 of the 2025 draft
In his new mock draft published Thursday, ESPN's Matt Miller had the Raiders bypassing Jeanty to take Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan sixth overall. In the second round (No. 37), a running back (Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson) was Miller's pick for Las Vegas.
"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. After passing on RB in Round 1, we'll reunite Henderson with Kelly in Las Vegas. He'd be penciled in as a Day 1 starter alongside Geno Smith, Brock Bowers and Tetairoa McMillan to form a fun offensive nucleus."
Related: TreVeyon Henderson 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
There are questions about Henderson being able to be a quintessential workhorse back in the NFL, like Carroll might want, but those kind of backs are rare these days. The widely-held comp for Henderson is Aaron Jones.
Henderson is an explosive dual threat, a very good pass protector and he has zero fumbles in the last three years. Add the Chip Kelly familiarity layer, and you just might have the running back the Raiders end up with on Day 2 of next month's draft.