If new head coach Ben Johnson is serious about leading the Chicago Bears to an offensive revival, selecting running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 10 overall pick would get him closer to his goal. However, Johnson isn’t the only head coach clamoring to have Jeanty on their roster.
The Heisman Trophy runner-up has been one of the more heralded running back prospects in recent NFL Draft history. Leading up to the event, Jeanty has gone as high as No. 6 to the Las Vegas Raiders in industry mock drafts. As the consensus No. 1 running back, any team with a new in the top 10 is certainly taking a hard look.
Because of that interest, the Bears may be forced to trade up to actually land Jeanty. With four picks inside the top 75, Chicago certainly has the ammunition to move up. Still, the franchise has more needs than just running back. For as good as Jeanty is, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated doesn’t think the Bears trading up for him is in the cards.
“Jeanty is on another tier. But worth trading up for? I’m not sure about that,” Breer wrote. “I still get the sense he’s a cut below where Saquon Barkley, Zeke Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey were in their draft years. So I’m not sure I’d give up assets on top of the 10th pick to go get him.”
Price of trading up
While the Bears have four top-100 picks, they don’t want them to go to waste. Not that a trade for Jeanty would be of course, but they’re limiting what they can do elsewhere. Chicago would fill one hole with an elite player while potentially taking gambles elsewhere.
The Bears allowed a league-high 68 sacks in 2024. While they have bolstered their offensive line with three new faces, Chicago needs all the help they can get. Furthermore, adding a top flight offensive lineman ensures their blocking scheme is stout for the foreseeable future.
The same goes on the defensive side. The Bears added Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett to a pair of contracts that almost equaled $100 million. However, this is the same team that finished 2024 ranked 27th in total defense, allowing 354.3 yards per game. Even with their additions, a bit more firepower on their line will be necessary to truly strike fear in opposing quarterbacks.
Speaking of rankings, Chicago finished 2024 with the eighth-worst rushing attack in the league, averaging just 102 yards per game. So this is not to say the Bears don’t need a rusher. But if Jeanty costs them an opportunity to have a more complete roster, the juice may not be worth the squeeze.
Chicago Bears covet Ashton Jeanty
If Jeanty lasts to No. 10, this is all a moot point. It seems unlikely the Bears would pass with that opportunity in their lap. After building out their offense all offseason, adding Jeanty would be the perfect cherry on top.
In his last season at Boise State, Jeanty ran for an FBS-leading 2,601 yards, adding an impressive 29 rushing touchdowns. Alongside his second-place Heisman finish, Jeanty won the Maxwell, Doak Walker and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose awards while being named a unanimous All-American.
The last time a Bears running back broke 1,000 yards rushing was in 2020, when David Montgomery had 1,070 yards. D’Andre Swift nearly broke the threshold in 2024 with 959 yards, however his 3.8 yards per carry left a lot to be desired. Simply put, Jeanty would have an opportunity to shatter all expectations of recent Chicago running backs.
He would also give the Bears a much more dynamic offense. Johnson knows he must set the foundation before any true offensive fireworks come. But a player like Jeanty gives the franchise one hell of an offensive piece to build around.
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