Free agency is all but done. The Chicago Bears will still acquire more players in the coming weeks, but most of them will be depth moves meant to fill out roster spots in preparation for the NFL draft. GM Ryan Poles said the big moves over the past two weeks have left the door wide open to do pretty much anything they want with the 10th overall pick in April. They could go in any direction. The side effect is that nobody knows what that direction will be. Experts keep predicting different names with each mock draft.
One team insider decided to cut through the noise. Ben Devine covers the Bears on Twitter (X). Last year, he correctly predicted the team was targeting Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with the 9th pick in the draft. In March.
This year, Devine worked his sources again to see if he could narrow the list to a specific name. Sure enough, it bore fruit. Based on the information he has, it is believed the Bears are prepared to select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the 10th overall pick.
The Chicago Bears’ interest in Jeanty is hardly surprising.
For one, he’s an outstanding player. He came closer than any player in almost 40 years to breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season college rushing record. His 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns catapulted Boise State to the college football playoffs, where they sadly lost to a more complete Penn State team. He is a stud. Experts have compared him to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Maurice Jones-Drew.
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One must not forget the Chicago Bears were 25th in rushing last season. D’Andre Swift finished under 4.0 yards per carry in 11 of his 17 games. It is hard to win when that is the case. Backup Roschon Johnson is a good short-yardage option, but neither has the capacity to be a true workhorse back. Jeanty does.
Then there is Ben Johnson. The Bears’ new head coach is a big proponent of running the football. Detroit finished top 10 in rushing attempts each of the past two seasons. There is no question he would gravitate to an instant-impact player like Jeanty. Chicago is set at wide receiver. They don’t need another tight end. The offensive line is stabilized. Giving Caleb Williams a threat in the backfield that teams must respect is the final piece to the puzzle.
