Throughout the day on Thursday, it appeared that the Chicago Bears were looking for ways to move up in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Entering the day, the Bears held the No. 10 selection on Thursday night, but with an intent on landing Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, the team was looking for a trade partner in their efforts to get ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6.
The Jaguars may have just blown a fuse to the Bears' plans. The Jaguars have completed a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns, moving up from No. 5 in the draft to No. 2. The Browns are expected to keep the No. 5 pick. Of course, that won't stop teams like the Bears (and others) from convincing the Browns to move back once more.
BREAKING: The #Browns are trading the No. 2 overall pick to the #Jaguars for the No. 5 pick, per sources. pic.twitter.com/HqcjEStWse
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 25, 2025
With the Bears presumably blocked from getting ahead of the Raiders at No. 6, the team's path to landing Jeanty just got a bit more complicated. The Raiders have long been the team rumored to be selecting Jeanty, likely the primary reason why the Bears were looking to move up in the draft. Now, recent speculation has suggested that the Raiders might be looking at the trenches, which, if it happens, would keep the Jeanty hope alive for the Bears.
In a world where the Bears do not have a path to selecting Jeanty, it woud be interesting to see how the team pivots. Based on previous reports, if Jeanty was unavailable, there was a thought that the Bears could be looking at adding to their offensive line. The presumption is the Bears would be looking for a left tackle. If not Will Campbell, the Bears would likely have an eye on Kelvin Banks Jr. out of Texas. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren could also be the move for the Bears if the primary goal is to add an offensive playmaker.