Ashton Jeanty has dumped more fuel on the speculative fire that the Chicago Bears will take him in the 2025 NFL draft with his latest Instagram activity.
On March 23, Da Bears Dynasty shared a video to its Instagram account of new Bears running backs coach Eric Bienemy getting after former NFL superstar Adrian Peterson early in their careers when both men were with the Minnesota Vikings. The caption also lauded head coach Ben Johnson for bringing Bienemy’s intensity to his staff for 2025.
What caught the most attention, however, was Jeanty liking the post, another sign that the top running back prospect in the 2025 class might desire to land with the Bears.
The possibility of the Bears targeting Jeanty with the No. 10 pick in the draft has only grown more likely through the first three weeks of the 2025 league year. Chicago took an aggressive approach to free agency, using trades and signing to acquire five new starters at positions of need — including all three of its interior offensive line spots.
The Bears have shown specific interest in Jeanty, meeting with him at the NFL combine and — according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler — inviting him for a top-30 visit. Jeanty has also reciprocated their interest, shouting them out as a “nice destination” when talking about potential NFL landing spots during his Super Bowl Radio Row interview.
Whether the Bears will have a chance to draft him, though, remains a big mystery.
Will Raiders Draft Ashton Jeanty Before Bears Pick?
If the Bears want to target Jeanty in the first round — and that, of course, is still unclear outside the walls of Halas Hall — the No. 10 pick puts them in a reasonably good spot.
As things currently stand, though, the Las Vegas Raiders are their biggest threat to take any consideration about Jeanty out of their hands and instead draft him for themselves at No. 6 overall. DraftKings Sportsbook even lists the Raiders (+120) as the new slight favorites over the Bears (+130) to draft Jeanty, given their better draft position.
The Raiders have all the reason in the world to target a potential superstar like Jeanty. While they added soon-to-be-33-year-old Raheem Mostert in free agency, his addition mostly just offsets the departure of Alexander Mattison. Even with Mostert, the Raiders have no clear starter among him, Zamir White, Sincere McCormick and Dylan Laube.
One silver lining for the Bears is the Raiders have many other draft needs to address in the first round. While Jeanty has potent potential for their backfield, the class is viewed as deep at the position, which may prompt the Raiders to hold out until later to find a new starting candidate at running back. They do also have the Nos. 37 and 68 picks.
Unfortunately for the Bears, they are at the mercy of the Raiders without trading up.
Bears May Prefer to Target Other Positions at No. 10
Jeanty is certainly a fun outcome for the Bears at No. 10, but that does not mean they are out of luck if he is off the board when they pick — or that he is even the top choice.
The Bears could easily turn their attention back to their offensive line. While they added three new interior offensive linemen, they have left tackle Braxton Jones coming off a season-ending injury and entering a contract year. Even if they want to see how Jones bounces back in 2025, they could hedge their bets and pit him against a first-rounder.
LSU’s Will Campbell, Missouri’s Armand Membou and Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. could all fit what the Bears traditionally seek at the offensive tackle position.
The Bears might also want more support for Dennis Allen’s defense. If defensive tackle Mason Graham falls to them at No. 10, it is hard to imagine that Chicago would pass on him even after signing veteran Grady Jarrett to a three-year contract.
The options would change, too, if the Bears’ blue-chip prospects are all gone at No. 10. If they feel there is more value in adding another Day 2 draft pick, they might prefer to trade away their first-round selection and slide back further into the round.
As good as Jeanty is, he doesn’t have to be the end-all, be-all for Chicago.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Ashton Jeanty Fuels Draft Rumors About Bears on Social Media appeared first on Heavy Sports.