Bear Digest

Ashton Jeanty gaining momentum as first-round target for Bears in 2025 NFL Draft

Running back isn’t the biggest priority for the Chicago Bears this offseason, but all signs indicate that GM Ryan Poles is giving serious consideration to Ashton Jeanty in the first round.

Bryan Perez

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Running back may not be the Chicago Bears' biggest offseason need, but if GM Ryan Poles sticks to a "best player available" approach, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty will be impossible to ignore as a first-round option in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jeanty could easily be the most talented player available when the Bears pick at No. 10 overall, but in today’s NFL, only a rare caliber of running back prospect justifies a top-10 selection.

Jeanty satisfies that requirement.

Jeanty ran for a remarkable 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024, dazzling spectators on a weekly basis. It was the most dominant season from a running back since Barry Sanders ran for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns way back in 1988.

Speculation about the Bears pursuing a running back upgrade this offseason started the moment they hired Ben Johnson as head coach. As the former Lions offensive coordinator, Johnson was part of the staff that traded D’Andre Swift and selected Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Now, with Jeanty grading out as a better prospect than Gibbs and Swift still unlikely to fully match Johnson’s ideal running back prototype (despite his recent praise of "Swifty") the buzz linking Jeanty to the Bears refuses to fade.

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) against the Penn State Nittany Lions
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ashton Jeanty will visit with Chicago Bears before 2025 NFL Draft

Ashton Jeanty confirmed he met with the Chicago Bears and running backs coach Eric Bienemy at the 2025 NFL Combine.

"It went great talking with coach Bieniemy, talking football, talking life," Jeanty said. "It was a great meeting. It was great meeting with all of them."

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler confirmed Jeanty also has a 30 visit scheduled with the Bears.

"Star Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is lining up Top 30 visits, including the Bears and Cowboys," Fowler wrote. "Jeanty did not perform drills at the combine, but he got encouraging results from his medical testing in Indy, I'm told. He had an elbow injury last season that shouldn't affect him long term."

Top 30 visits often offer insight into a team’s draft intentions. NFL teams are limited to 30 visits at their facilities, and while some are used for prospects needing extra background information, they’re generally reserved for players who are strong candidates for an early-round selection, if not a first-round pick.

The Bears hosted Caleb Williams for a Top 30 visit in 2024 and Darnell Wright in 2023. In 2022, Ryan Poles' first year as GM, Chicago did not have a first-round pick.

Whether Jeanty ends up with the Bears will hinge on the moves Ryan Poles makes during 2025 free agency to improve the offensive line. The Bears need two starting guards, a center, and possibly a left tackle. If they enter the NFL Draft with multiple offensive line needs still unresolved, the chances of Jeanty joining the team diminish significantly.

If the Bears' offensive line sees a significant upgrade in free agency, the likelihood of Chicago featuring a backfield with two generational talents, Caleb Williams and Ashton Jeanty, rises considerably.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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