The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.
Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.
“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”
Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.
Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.
Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.
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Also, imagine the times RB Hampton is in the backfield and you put RB Jeanty in the slot. And then it is a passing play.
You can’t touch this.
Glad it’s less than 3 weeks until the draft. That way at least the team will be set with most of the players they will start the season with. Seems this time there is more football smarts making decisions and hopefully make this draft a good one. Looking back, it makes me feel Poles had a lot on his plate.
I like the idea of Ashton Jeante. Walter Payton carried the Bears on his back for years. He was a bruiser who never let his legs stop driving. When you see genty, he runs the same way. He’s got the nifty moves, not just one cut and go. I like it. It’s a possibility if he had to, he could carry the team for a few games.
Alot of chatter on Raiders sites about WR in the first and they could go RB in the 2nd because of the depth at RB. Not so much with WRs.
RB Jeanty would take the pressure of QB Caleb and the downfield passing game. He would make play action plays more effective too. I don’t know if the Bears have enough guts to move up for this potential explosion on offense.
RBs Hampton and Judkins provide a more traditional grinding route to success on the ground, but do not expect any explosions leading to a Superbowl run this year.