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It should be no surprise to Raiders fans that Jeanty has already received plenty of hype from the media. ESPN polled 17 of its experts to make a few predictions looking forward to the 2025 NFL season. One of the categories discussed was Offensive Rookie of the Year, which overwhelmingly went to Jeanty.
Jeanty was the betting favorite to win OROY shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft. It is easy to understand the appeal.
“His name will be called early and often in Las Vegas, giving him the stats to run away with this title,” fantasy football analyst Stephania Bell wrote. “Rookie quarterback Cam Ward will uplift the Titans’ offense enough to put him in contention, but I expect Jeanty to find the end zone a lot and vault to the top of this race.”
Jeanty received eight votes to win OROY. The next runner up was Titans QB Cam Ward with four votes.
ESPN’s Seth Walder explained why he voted for Ward over Jeanty.
“This award is just so tilted toward quarterbacks,” Walder explained. “It’s not that other positions can’t win, as Garrett Wilson and Ja’Marr Chase each won in the past five years, but the QB has the edge in a close race. Justin Herbert beating out Justin Jefferson (by a lot!) in 2020 was evidence of that. Ward was the clear-cut QB1 in this class, and I like how the Titans fortified their offensive line ahead of his arrival.”
Chargers running back Omarion Hampton received two votes.
Other rookies to receive votes include RJ Harvey, Travis Hunter, and Colston Loveland.
There was a slim chance that Jeanty was off the board before Las Vegas could draft him.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explained in a recent article that Denver tried to trade into the top five and select Jeanty.
“Yes, the Broncos considered moving up in the first round for running back Ashton Jeanty,” Jeremy Fowler wrote. “They called around to teams picking in the top 10. But the price simply would have been “too heavy” for Denver’s liking, per a source. And the team eyeing Jeanty (the Raiders at No. 6) was a division rival, thus not a likely trade partner.”
The Raiders are certainly glad that the Broncos could not afford to trade up.
Perhaps Jacksonville’s surprising trade up for Travis Hunter threw off Denver’s plans even further.
Either way, Jeanty is now a Raider. If he lives up to expectations, Jeanty will make the Broncos wish they’d traded up when they play each other twice a year for the foreseeable future.
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