Few players have been more consistently linked to the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft than electrifying Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
If general manager Ryan Poles is intent on adding a potentially game-altering weapon to the offense, and quarterback Caleb Williams‘ supporting cast, Jeanty checks just about every box.
The 5-foot-9 and 215-pound big-play factory is widely viewed as one of the premier prospects in this year’s class, especially after rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns while averaging seven yards per carry last season.
One rival executive believes Jeanty has a lot of similarities to one of the more prolific running backs of this era across the NFL.
“He’s an excellent player,” an AFC Personnel Executive told me recently, of Jeanty. “[A] compact runner with a low center of gravity. I see a lot of Josh Jacobs. Taking him with a top-10 pick might be a little rich in today’s game, but I think you throw some of that out with him.”
If the Bears emerge from the draft with Jeanty, and he lives up to the Jacobs comparison, Chicago would have to be pretty pleased.
After all, Jacobs has garnered First-Team All-Pro recognition once, led the league in rushing in 2022, and made three Pro Bowls, so far, in his career.
Jacobs is one of the backs who helped lead a renaissance at the position across the league last year, as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Jacobs didn’t just play pivotal roles in their new offenses after signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Green Bay Packers respectively, but underscored the value a marquee running back can have on a team’s entire outlook.
Why Ashton Jeanty makes sense for Chicago Bears at No. 10
There’s a legitimate possibility that Jeanty might not even be on the board when the Bears go on the clock at No. 10 overall.
If the Las Vegas Raiders, who allowed Jacobs to walk via free agency last spring, decide to take Jeanty at No. 6 overall to pair with new quarterback Geno Smith, the Bears will need to look for contingency plans to add a running back later on during the draft.
However, Jeanty would add a consistent chains-mover and reliable weapon as a receiver out of the backfield to Williams’ arsenal. Jeanty may be the exact player to lift the Bears’ potential on offense and maximize the value of adding veteran offensive linemen Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman this offseason, after averaging 5.25 yards per carry after contact and forcing 152 missed tackles, which led the nation.
In an offense desperately looking for a playmaker buttressed by a revamped offensive line that could take some time to develop chemistry and cohesion, Jeantry has the potential to simultaneously be a masking agent and a force multiplier for Chicago in 2025.
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