Some Chicago Bears fans were left disappointed after the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft when Ashton Jeanty came off the board at No. 6 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The silver lining to this missed opportunity was the incredible depth at running back in this year's draft. In fact, there were several names, like TreVeyon Henderson and Cam Skattebo, that fans expected to hear called by the Bears on Days 2 or 3.
Instead, the Bears seemed to miss out on all the top targets in each round. They even traded back with the Buffalo Bills twice once some of these names were off the board. In the end, they didn't add a running back until the seventh round, when they selected Kyle Monangai out of Rutgers.
Did GM Ryan Poles drop the ball here? Should he have made a jump up the draft board to grab one of the top running backs?
For better or for worse, Ryan Poles lets the board fall to him
Through four drafts now, we have a pretty good idea of how Ryan Poles operates and the one thing we know for sure is that he places tremendous value on his picks. He won't trade up for just anyone, and when it comes to making selections he sticks to his board, even if it doesn't seem to make sense to the fans, which might explain Chicago's surprising pick of linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II.
Sometimes this comes back to bite him. Other times, Poles finds good later in the draft and adds future picks.
D'Andre Swift deserves one more chance
Yes, Swift was undeniably bad in 2024. But if Bears fans want to cut quarterback Caleb Williams some slack due to O-line and playcalling issues, the same grace must be given to Swift.
In his one season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Swift had a career year, averaging 4.6 yards per carry and ending up with over 1,200 scrimmage yards. With Ben Johnson calling the shots in Chicago now and a significantly improved O-line, expect to see a big boost in Swift's production.
By upgrading at other positions, the Bears may show us that the running back room was not such a dire need after all.
