The Chicago Bears' 2025 offseason has been all about the trenches, and for good reason. The Bears' offensive line was among the worst in the NFL last year, and the defensive line, after Andrew Billings was lost for the season with a torn pec, wasn't much better.
General manager Ryan Poles responded by trading for two new guards -- Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson -- and signed the top center in free agency, Drew Dalman. He added defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to reinforce the defensive line, and signed Dayo Odeyingbo, a high-upside pass-rusher, to complement Montez Sweat.
As the 2025 NFL Draft approaches, it's beginning to feel like Bears fans are getting trench fatigue. While there's no denying that Super Bowl teams build their rosters from the inside out, it's also true that it's more fun when teams add a high-power offensive skill player in the first round.
In the latest 2025 NFL mock draft from Pro Football Focus, data from their mock draft simulator was used to construct an updated first-round projection. It's the best way to get a feel for who Bears fans want Poles to select with the 10th pick, and it's pretty clear they want a change in strategy in Round 1.
The pick? Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
"Jeanty is a total-package backfield playmaker with impressive balance, footwork, vision, explosiveness and big-play ability — reminiscent of Alvin Kamara," PFF wrote. "He is a first-round offensive weapon who can succeed behind any blocking scheme."
Bears coach Ben Johnson knows a thing or two about how a first-round offensive weapon can elevate a team's backfield. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who the Detroit Lions selected with the 12th pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, was the engine behind the Lions' offense in 2024.
Jeanty would represent a stark change in Poles' draft philosophy. In three years on the job, Poles has only drafted two running backs -- Roschon Johnson and Trestan Ebner. Johnson was the earliest Poles has selected a running back, and he was a fourth-round pick. Ebner was selected in the sixth round.
Indeed, Poles has preached positional value as a big part of his first-round philosophy, and it's a well-known NFL theory that running backs aren't traditionally worth a first-round investment. But that might be changing after the position enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in 2024. Perhaps Jeanty will be seen as the missing piece for the Chicago Bears offense, much like how Saquon Barkley put the Philadelphia Eagles over the top in their Super Bowl run.
The momentum behind Ashton Jeanty landing with the Chicago Bears definitely feels like a fan-driven narrative, but crazier things than Poles going running back in the first round have certainly happened in the NFL Draft.
