Ashton Jeanty is about to make himself a boat load of money this spring. The Doak Walker winner out of Boise State is slated to be a top-12 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. While he could fall to the early 20s to a team like the Denver Broncos, one NFL mock draft after another have him going inside the top 10. While the betting odds say it will be the Chicago Bears at No. 10, Mel Kiper Jr. sees otherwise...
In Kiper's latest NFL mock draft for ESPN, he has the Las Vegas Raiders taking the Boise State legend with the No. 6 overall pick. That is a full four spots ahead of where the Bears are picking. Chicago's moves in NFL free agency suggest that they need to pick up a star running back in the draft in the worst way possible. Given that Pete Carroll leads the Silver and Black, of course, he will select one.
Here are the latest odds from DraftKings Sportsbook on which team is going to up end draft Jeanty.
- Chicago Bears: +130
- Las Vegas Raiders: +150
- Dallas Cowboys: +550
- San Francisco 49ers: +1100
- New Orleans Saints: +1400
- Denver Broncos: +1600
It may only be a +20 difference between the Bears at +130 odds and the Raiders at +150, but those look to be the clear favorites to end up drafting Jeanty. Both of whom are picking inside the top 10. After that, the Dallas Cowboys come in with a respectable +550 odds of getting him at No. 12 overall. The San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and Broncos seem like long shots to end up with him.
Let's unpack this a bit further and see what this could entail for the rest of the NFL Draft's first round.
Ashton Jeanty projected to go to Las Vegas Raiders over Chicago Bears
No. 6 to the Raiders does seem a bit rich for my taste, but the Raiders historically reach on players in the first round. From Clelin Ferrell to Darius Heyward-Bey, been there, done that. As far as what this does to the Bears, they end up taking Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams at No. 10. I do not hate the fit, other than my Dawg ends up going to the Bears five spots before my Atlanta Falcons are picking.
Not only does the Raiders taking Jeanty No. 6 overall impact what teams like the Bears and Falcons are going to do behind them, but it has the Cowboys grossly reaching on North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton at No. 12. He may be a first-round talent, but I felt he was only a top-40 player entering the draft process. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer really wants a new running back.
What this all means is if the Raiders end up taking Jeanty, then Chicago needs to hone in on a running back in day two of the draft. They have not shown as much interest in Hampton as they have Jeanty. Dallas is more desperate than the Bears are to get a running back. Let another NFC team fail to read the draft chart. Then again, a balanced offensive attack may help get the most out of Caleb Williams.
I hate to say it, but the Bears might be screwed when it comes to their quest of trying to land Jeanty.