Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is poised to break the unsaid NFL Draft rule that suggests running backs don’t hold enough positional value to be top-10 picks.
Few prospects have managed to break this narrative in recent years. Christian McCaffrey was the eighth pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, followed by Saquan Barkley, who went second overall in 2018. Bijan Robinson was selected eighth in 2023.
It’s an impressive list of running backs who’ve cracked the sacred top 10, and Jeanty’s generational scouting report suggests he’s next in line.
The Chicago Bears close out the top 10 at No. 10 overall, and they continue to be linked to Jeanty as a possible first-round match.
Pro Football Focus broke down every team’s biggest weakness now that the first and second waves of NFL free agency are over, and, of course, the analytics giant suggests Jeanty would cure the Bears’ biggest problem.
“The Bears overhauled their interior offensive line by signing center Drew Dalman and trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson,” PFF’s Max Chadwick wrote. “Next on the agenda for new head coach Ben Johnson is the running back position, considering D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson are more so complementary pieces than starting-caliber players.
If Ashton Jeanty falls to Pick No. 10, it’s hard to imagine Chicago would pass on him. Even if he doesn’t, this is a fantastic draft class with multiple potential running back starters who should be available on Day 2.”
It’s true that if Jeanty falls to the Bears in Round 1, GM Ryan Poles will struggle mightily to say, “no thanks.” But it doesn’t mean he won’t.
Instead, Chicago could view Jeanty’s falling as a golden opportunity to trade back and hoard more draft capital, something Poles has shown a propensity to do since being in the big chair.
Still, passing on a player with as spotless of a scouting report as Ashton Jeanty would seem pretty foolish, especially as the Chicago Bears usher in a new era of offensive football under Ben Johnson.
If the Las Vegas Raiders so no thanks to the Heisman Trophy winner at No. 6 overall, he may just find his way to the Bears backfield in 2025.
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