Ashton Jeanty is probably the most fascinating prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft not named Travis Hunter.
The Boise State running back and reigning Heisman Trophy runner-up is undeniably talented. He's the best RB prospect to hit the pros in years. He put up 2,739 yards from scrimmage and 30 touchdowns for the Broncos as a junior, eviscerating defenses with his unmatched twitchiness, burst and field vision.
And yet, running back is a notoriously difficult position to evaluate in the draft. The league has been trending away from investing serious resources at the position in recent years, but Jeanty picked the perfect time to potentially buck that trend. Saquon Barkley's historic campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles is still fresh in everyone's mind. He reminded all of us at home (and in NFL front offices) what a truly elite run game can accomplish.
Is Jeanty on Barkley's level? Probably not, but he has a chance to lead the NFL in rushing yards and rack up Pro Bowl noms for the next five-plus years. He's good enough to meaningfully change an offense's outlook.
So, when the Chicago Bears start poking around under the guidance of new head coach Ben Johnson, one of the NFL's brightest play-callers, it merits your attention.
Chicago currently occupies the No. 9 pick in Thursday's first round, but it seems like an aggressive trade up is firmly in the cards.
Bears' odds of trading up and picking Ashton Jeanty in NFL Draft spike
Las Vegas is often a strong bellweather in the NFL Draft. Those folks tend to know what's what as new stories break and smokescreens flare up.
Sports Illustrated's Brian Giuffra laid out the latest Ashton Jeanty odds at FanDuel. Chicago is picking up a lot of steam.
This morning, Jeanty was -125 to be selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who own the No. 5 pick. Now, he's -185 to land with the Bears. Chicago was +300 mere hours ago, so something has shifted dramatically in the lead-up to tonight's draft.
In addition to being -185 to join the Bears, Jeanty's odds are -220 to be the fifth overall pick. Again, that selection currently belongs to Jacksonville. So, unless there's been a mathematical error in Vegas, we can do the simple calculations. Jeanty is most likely to be the No. 5 pick and he's most likely to join the Bears. That would imply Chicago trading up from No. 9 to No. 5, presumably forking over several additional day-two and day-three picks to placate Jacksonville.
We can debate the merits of trading up and using a top-five pick at running back of all positions, but we know Jeanty is an electric playmaker. His impact will be immediately felt, especially if Chicago can continue to beef up the offensive line.
Between Jeanty's production between the tackles and Caleb Williams' ability to improvise outside the pocket and scramble, Chicago would boast arguably the most potent running attack in the NFL. We saw what Ben Johnson did with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit. Just imagine what he can make of Jeanty in Chicago, with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze achoring a potentially explosive passing game.