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Round 1, #10 Overall — Ashton Jeanty, Running Back, Boise State
The moves made by the Chicago Bears mean that Poles does not have to go with an offensive or defensive lineman with the 10th overall pick. This could be a wide open choice now.
Johnson had a dynamic running back duo in Detroit. Despite signing David Montgomery in 2023 as a free agent, the Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick. That was a spectacular success for them. They could keep attacking the opposing defense with both players and wear them down.
With D’Andre Swift, who is already familiar with Johnson’s offensive system, and now Ashton Jeanty, the Chicago Bears would have a similar attack. Throw in Roschon Johnson as the third back and Johnson’s new running backs room could be even tougher.
While Jeanty has average height, his speed, burst, and vision are elite. He can see the hole and get to it quickly and break out a huge run at any moment. He has great lower body strength so that makes his contact balance excellent. He is difficult to bring down. He can succeed in a variety of schemes.
In the passing game, Jeanty has good hands.He is a reliable target on screens and wheels. We saw with Swift that quarterback Caleb Williams got a few big plays by just dumping the ball off to him and he made big plays. Now Williams has another one who could do that.
Jeanty’s speed when he goes outside forces defenders to go hard to the edges. That will create some big lanes on his cutbacks. His vision, contact balance, and elusiveness helps him when he runs in the interior of the line. That is something Swift was unable to do. Swift had trouble running between the tackles.
Having an effective duo (or trio) takes a lot of pressure off of Williams. The defense will have to account for the Chicago Bears’ running game. That opens things up downfield for Williams. Additionally, the play-action will be a powerful tool for the offense.
Insider pumps brakes on Chicago Bears ditching offensive line in NFL Draft
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