After many months of speculation, the Las Vegas Raiders must’ve been overjoyed when they saw how the draft played out, and Ashton Jeanty was available for them at sixth overall. He was the prospect most linked to them before the draft, but it wasn’t a guarantee he was gonna make it past the top five picks.
That goes to show how impressive of a prospect Jeanty is and how much of a game changer he’ll be for the Raiders. He’s already in discussions to be the leading candidate for the offensive rookie of the year race next year, and has received lofty comparisons from Raiders legend Marcus Allen.
After Jeanty was drafted, he went on an interview for Raiders.com, where he spoke about the atmosphere of being there physically on draft day and sounded off on his appreciation for his family in their support up to this point in his career.
“It was crazy for sure. They said it was 200,000 people. When we got on the stage, I’m looking out and I just kept seeing more rows and rows of people. It was nonstop…It’s been a long journey, but it’s been amazing.
I loved every second of it, getting here. There have been so many people that helped me along the way. I mean, coaches, teammates, mom and dad, brother, sister, siblings, aunties, uncles. I could be talking all day about the people who helped me.
But I’m just so thankful to be here. The most special thing, I think, in the moment was to be able to share it with all my family and a lot of different people who’ve been invested in me and helped me get here today”.
Stepping back from the football for a moment, it’s always a special time of the year whenever players get to have their dreams come true, and with Jeanty, it’s evident that Las Vegas will be where he accomplishes the goals he set out to accomplish since a kid.
His being a Raider will change not only his life, but that of his family, and he has an opportunity to make a lasting impact not only on Raiders Nation, but the NFL as a whole. His rookie year will be special, and it will be amazing to see him play in the Silver and Black, knowing it means so much for him to be there in the first place