![\"ashton](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2267575174.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty.<\/p>\n
Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, there are some obvious needs for the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>. Quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive tackle, cornerback and safety are some of the more glaring ones.<\/p>\n After using the No. 6 pick to select Asthon Jeanty<\/a> in 2025, running back wouldn\u2019t appear to be much of a need for the Raiders. Jeanty\u2019s rookie season wasn\u2019t as strong as the team had hoped it would be, but there were many factors for why that was the case.<\/p>\n With a better offensive line and offensive playcaller, Jeanty should have a much better season. However, he can\u2019t expect to be featured as heavily. New head coach Klint Kubiak likes to utilize multiple running backs. Jeanty isn\u2019t used to sharing the workload, but Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report<\/a> listed running back as a \u201csurprising\u201d need for the Raiders.<\/p>\n \u201cAshton Jeanty is set up to do big things in Klint Kubiak\u2019s offense. Let\u2019s get that out of the way. But the fact remains that Kubiak is just coming from a position where he got to utilize both Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet,\u201d Ballentine wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cAs it stands, the Raiders just don\u2019t have a second running back who can take some of the load off Jeanty\u2019s plate. If the Raiders want to maximize Jeanty\u2019s explosiveness, they need a back who can help manage the workload throughout the season.\u201d<\/p>\n RBs Raiders Could Target in Draft<\/p>\n The Raiders did show some interest in a veteran running back when they hosted Najee Harris<\/a> for a visit. However, he left Las Vegas without a contract.<\/p>\n The Raiders may be waiting to see how the draft plays out to address the position. Ballentine named a couple of running back prospects who could make sense for the team.<\/p>\n \u201cIdeally, they\u2019d be able to find a thumper who can execute some of the between-the-tackles work. Emmett Johnson might be a little more than that. His explosiveness would give Fernando Mendoza two home run threats to hand the ball to,\u201d Ballentine wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cEven settling for Jonah Coleman a little further down our big board would raise the offense\u2019s ceiling. His biggest weakness is that he doesn\u2019t necessarily have home run speed, but the Raiders already have a back with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeanty Should Still Have Big Season<\/p>\n While Jeanty might not love the idea of having to split the workload at running back, it could be good for him, especially early in his career. Jeanty has carried the ball a ton between college and his rookie season.<\/p>\n If he wants to have a long career, he can\u2019t keep taking on such a heavy workload. Plus, not having to be on the field as often should leave him fresher to make big plays.<\/p>\n Jeanty is going to be the No. 1 guy this season. He has too much talent for somebody else to be the starter, but Kubiak wants to run the ball a lot, which is why he likes to have two capable running backs. If Jeanty cements himself as an impact player, he\u2019ll still see the ball plenty.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAustin Boyd<\/a> has covered the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com since 2019. A Los Angeles native now based in Las Vegas, his featured work at Heavy includes interviews with NFL stars Darren Waller and Joe Montana, and a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shop.” More about Austin Boyd<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Raiders\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Las Vegas Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty. Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, there are some obvious needs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":864171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2065],"tags":[7,1744,393,2455,2454,6,525],"class_list":{"0":"post-864170","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-las-vegas-raiders","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-las-vegas","10":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","11":"tag-lasvegas","12":"tag-lasvegasraiders","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-raiders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116387589432316371","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}