Bear Digest

Bears land elite playmaker to pair with Caleb Williams in latest 2025 NFL mock draft

While most Chicago Bears fans prefer GM Ryan Poles to focus on the offensive or defensive line in the NFL Draft, this new 2025 mock draft takes a totally different direction.
Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK

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The Chicago Bears ended the 2024 regular season with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and while most Bears fans are hoping GM Ryan Poles strengthens the offensive line to protect quarterback Caleb Williams, a new mock draft from CBS Sports goes in a different direction.

Rather than select a player who can protect Caleb, CBS Sports' Mike Renner sends the Bears a dude who can make plays with Caleb.

The pick? Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

"With tons of cap space, expect the Bears to address the offensive line elephant in the room in free agency," Renner wrote. "Once that box is ticked, Ashton Jeanty would be the perfect complement to Caleb Williams' athleticism in the backfield. He's a three-down back with elite tackle-breaking ability."

Jeanty to the Bears is a narrative that's gaining momentum, and it makes sense. Chicago received underwhelming production from D'Andre Swift. The veteran running back left yards on the field because of his inability to consistently run through contact. Sure, he had his good moments this season, but overall? He hurt the offense.

The best friend to a young quarterback is a strong running game, and Jeanty is in a tier of his own in the 2025 NFL Draft running back class.

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

Jeanty finished the 2024 season with a near-record 2,601 rushing yards and an astonishing 29 touchdowns. He averaged six yards per carry, which is a remarkable stat on its own. It's even more incredible when considering Jeanty carried the ball 374 times.

Running backs have lost value in the NFL draft in recent years, but that might change after the 2024 playoffs. Some of the NFL's top Super Bowl contenders are powered by highly-drafted running backs, and with the NFL being a copycat league, you can expect more first-rounders at the position in coming years.

Enter Ashton Jeanty, who's a no-brainer first-round talent.

Here's a snippet of his NFL draft scouting report from Bleacher Report:

"Overall, Ashton Jeanty is a high-volume and playmaking running back. Between his bowling ball-esque frame and innate contact balance, Jeanty's game translates incredibly well to the NFL. He fits today's run offenses with wide zone and pin-pull gap schemes. Jeanty is a bell-cow running back who can shoulder the load for an NFL rushing attack."

Once the shock of drafting a running in the first round settles down, the excitement of Caleb Williams and Ashton Jeanty sharing the same backfield will take over. Add in Rome Odunze, the Bears' ninth-overall pick from the 2024 draft, and Chicago would have its own version of 'triplets' on offense.

At the very least, the Chicago Bears would be fun to watch.

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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.