The Las Vegas Raiders have rightly been pegged as one of the teams in the league that could opt to take a running back in the 2025 NFL draft, and many believe the team will spring for Boise State superstar Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick.
But what if the Raiders decided to pull off a trade to solve their need at running back instead? That’s the scenario Pro Football & Sports Network’s Sterling Xie played around with in a recent article suggesting trades for every team.
When Xie gets to the New York Jets in his article, he picks Breece Hall as their top trade candidate and suggests the Raiders as one of the possible landing spots for him. Here’s what Xie said about his Hall to the Raiders proposal.
“The Browns and Raiders also ranked in the bottom four in percent of running back carries that gained 10+ yards last season,” Xie wrote.
On top of that, the Raiders sported the worst rushing attack in the NFL in 2024, and the team’s leading rusher, Alexander Mattison, is now in Miami. A duo of Raheem Mostert, who was signed in free agency this year, and Sincere McCormick simply isn’t good enough if Las Vegas wants to make strides on the ground.
MORE: Raiders pull off 2 trades, reshape offense in 7-round mock
A former second-round pick of the Jets in 2022, Hall has proven himself to be a true game-changer on the offensive side of the ball. Not only can he contribute as a pass-catcher, he’s also capable of hitting home runs from anywhere on the field. That would be an invaluable trait for the Raiders to add to their offense.
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Hall has never broken 1,000 yards on the ground in his career, but he has tallied over 1,300 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two seasons, including a career-high 1,585 in 2023. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider the Jets have been a total disaster on offense throughout Hall’s career, mostly because of lackluster quarterback play and offensive line issues.
Hall would have a much better situation in Las Vegas, where the Raiders have a new quarterback in Geno Smith and weapons in the passing game like Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers who can help take pressure off. Also, the Raiders’ offensive line is on the come up after a strong finish to 2024.
The Jets could consider trading Hall if he’s unhappy with the team’s backfield plans in 2025. Head coach Aaron Glenn revealed the team would use a three-man rotation at the position, which may not sit well with Hall. He’s also set to enter the final year of his $9 million rookie deal, and if New York doesn’t see a future with Hall, that will only add to the chances he’s moved.
In terms of trade compensation, we’d suggest a late-Day 2, early-Day 3 pick will be enough to bring Hall to Las Vegas. However, with a deep running back class in the draft, the Raiders may very well opt to hold on to their draft capital and use it to improve their running backs room.
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