Ashton Jeanty sat in the green room in Lambeau Field next to his mother, Pamela, calmly changing into a modest pair of dress shoes.
It was one of his first chances to sit down and take in the moment after storming the red carpet in custom classic black Crocs, bedazzled with hand-placed Swarovski crystals.
In hindsight, the silver and black shoes could be viewed as foreshadowing.
Along with his mother, Jeanty's siblings and father Harry sat with him, admittedly far more anxious than their son and brother who was less than an hour away from a life changing moment.
"I had a lot of excitement wondering when [a team] was going to call him and watching others go up," said Pamela Jeanty. "At a point, there was some type of anxiety because of hearing different teams and waiting.
"We were talking, joking around; we took pictures. I think at a point, he starts tapping on his legs," she added. "Maybe that anticipation of that call and wondering where you're going to go. He probably had a little bit of butterflies but didn't want to tell me."
Ashton was confident Cam Ward would be the first pick in the draft to the Tennessee Titans, slowly starting to prepare himself for what the Cleveland Browns could do with the No. 2 pick. They traded it the Jacksonville Jaguars, whom the running back said had a lot of interest in him through the pre-draft process. They ultimately drafted Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
"They called Travis and we were happy," Harry Jeanty said. "You have certain expectations, I think Ashton really wanted to be a Raider. When we realized that, we knew it was going to happen. It was a good moment."
The Browns, in return, received the Jaguars' No. 5 pick, the draft selection right before the Raiders. Cleveland chose Michigan's defensive tackle Mason Graham.
"The only other team I thought possibly, maybe was the Browns," Ashton Jeanty told Raiders.com. "I think they had other needs in mind."
Then, out of nowhere, a flock of cameramen flooded toward him. His phone hadn't rung yet, but he knew something was brewing. He had a top 30 visit with the Raiders weeks prior and even received a text from Maxx Crosby the night before the draft.
He felt his phone vibrate and looked down to see a Las Vegas area code on the screen.
"There was a little bit of nervousness just not knowing where you were going to go quite yet," Ashton said."Then the first voice I heard was John Spytek, GM. I was happy for the great sense of relief."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took the stage to make the announcement: "With the sixth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders select Ashton Jeanty, running back, Boise State."
While Ashton was all smiles dancing from the green room to the stage, his father was overcome with emotion.
"When they called his name, I was one of the people who actually cried," Harry Jeanty said. "I was happy, but it was one of those things that's amazing. A dream come true."
Ashton Jeanty's arrival to the Raiders practice facility was the worst kept secret in the building
The running back only got three hours of sleep, at best, still hopped up on the adrenaline of being a first-round pick. As time ticked down in anticipation of his arrival, little by little the front lobby became more crowded.
Staff members, coaches and players alike could be seen peeking their heads around to see the Heisman Trophy finalist in the flesh. Raiders legends Marcus Allen, Jim Plunkett and Fred Biletnikoff stopped by the building that same day after attending the draft party to meet the newest Raider.
Jeanty and his caravan of family and representation pulled up to the building in black SUV's, as the running back walked into the building with his draft hat from the previous night on his head. On his feet were a bubblegum pink pair of Bottega Veneta Orbit's, as his mother was wearing a matching pair.
Pete Carroll, John Spytek and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly had filed into lobby five minutes before his arrival and were first ones to greet them.
"It just shows that they care and their willingness to get me going and rolling," Jeanty said of being greeted by the Raiders brass on arrival. "It shows there's an excitement around the building about the pick."
After taking pictures and chatting, Jeanty's first stop was straight to Carroll's office. Dating back to their first interaction at the NFL Combine, Jeanty spoke fondly of his interactions with the head coach, which included basketball shooting competitions and a trip to TopGolf during his top 30 visit.
"[W]e kind of went in the meeting with all the guys they brought out, and he said, 'We like to compete here, that's what we're all about,'" Jeanty said after being drafted. "And the first thing that we did was a shooting competition, and I actually won. So, I think that might have sealed the deal."
"[T]here was a little competition thing that the guys had amongst the guys that were visiting. I didn't really enter into the competition; I thought that might be unfair for them," Carroll joked. "But yeah, he did. He came through pretty well. It was good. It was exciting to see."
They spoke for roughly 30 minutes before he walked down to the cafeteria for lunch. While dining, he was greeted by several of his new teammates and the trio of Super Bowl champions in the building. Jeanty made his was to the indoor field, taking a picture with Plunkett, Bilentikoff and Allen and soaking up their wisdom.
"There's a great alumni presence here, especially with Marcus Allen and everything he's done for the position," Jeanty said. "To have a guy give you that support is amazing."
Allen and Jeanty are two of six running backs to be selected in the first-round by the franchise. The Pro Football Hall of Famer believes the rookie will have every opportunity to leave a similar legacy in the Raiders backfield.
"I think he's a generational talent. He has that kind of ability," Allen said. "He's extremely competitive, he's a humble guy. I think he's going to be a great professional, too. I think he's going to approach it the right way. I was really happy with the selection, I applaud it."
Through a tour of the rest of the facility, he made pitstops in the media room for a press conference, the Raiders' studio for multiple interviews, the equipment room to get fitted for a helmet and then to the weight room, a place he seemingly enjoyed the most. He joked around with a few of his new teammates and had a fun interaction with strength and conditioning coach Deuce Gruden.
Jeanty also has the nickname "Deuce," which he's carried around since he was child, leading to him wearing No. 2 when he started playing football in high school. Gruden, a junior named after his father who's the former head coach of the Raiders, joked that they should compete for who's ordained "the one true Deuce in the building." Jeanty offered to solve matters in a foot race, while Gruden preferred a lifting competing.
His last destination of the tour was the outdoor practice fields, which he'll step on in a few days for rookie minicamp. He walked away from the group, heading toward the goal posts in the end zone. As he glanced over the field, he said nothing and just stared out into the distance.
It seemed as if time stopped for that brief moment. Like it all soaked in for him. The nerves and uncertainty 24 hours prior were gone.
Ashton Jeanty knew he was a Raider.
View photos from Las Vegas Raiders 2025 first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty's first day in Las Vegas.
Signage welcoming first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with Head Coach Pete Carroll as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with General Manager John Spytek as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with General Manager John Spytek and Head Coach Pete Carroll as he arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty arrives to Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with alumnus Marcus Allen at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with alumni Marcus Allen, Jim Plunkett and Fred Biletnikoff at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty with alumni Marcus Allen, Jim Plunkett and Fred Biletnikoff and running backs coach DeLand McCullough at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders General Manager John Spytek with running back Ashton Jeanty during a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll and General Manager John Spytek with running back Ashton Jeanty at a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll with running back Ashton Jeanty during a press conference following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty and his family pose for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty and his agents pose for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty and his agent pose for a photo on the indoor field at Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Intermountain Health Performance Center following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick running back Ashton Jeanty tours Allegiant Stadium following his selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
