The 2025 NFL Draft week is here with Thursday being the night where the Chicago Bears hold the No. 10 selection in the first round.
The Bears can go in any number of directions in the first round. It may depend on just how many quarterbacks are taken ahead of the Bears before the front office decides between making a selection or trading back. The Bears trading up in the draft hasn't entirely been ruled out either but it seems likely the unlikeliest of scenarios.
In his latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated takes a creative approach as he draws up draft-day trades for each of the 32 teams in the first round. In the mock draft, the Bears trade the No. 10 selection and No. 148 to the Denver Broncos for No. 20 and No. 51.
In terms of a trade where the Bears move back in the draft, this would be an ideal move as the Bears gain a third second-round pick while also staying in the first round. With the No. 20 selection, Verderame has the Bears taking Georgia safety Malaki Starks.
In a vacuum, it would make sense why the Bears would target Starks if they moved back in the first round. Kevin Byard is entering the final year of the two-year deal he signed with the Bears last offseason and Jaquan Brisker can't be counted to play a full season. Adding Starks would be a step in the direction of the Bears finding long-term security at the safety position.
However, the biggest gamble with Verderame's proposal is on two specific players the Bears would be passing up on. Beginning with the No. 10 selection, Verderame had the Broncos move up to take Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
The Bears aren't locked on the idea of trading back in the 2025 NFL Draft
If Jeanty is on the board when the Bears are on the clock, the front office would likely waste no time in making the call to select the standout running back. Even if Jeanty wasn't on the board, it should be noted that in this exercise, LSU's Will Campbell was taken at No. 13.
One thing that was made clear last Thursday when the Bears' assistant coaches met with reporters, the team is high on Campbell. If Campbell is on the board when the Bears are making their selection in a scenario where Jeanty has already been taken, the SEC offensive tackle would be the obvious choice.
A scenario in which Poles trade backs and passes up on Jeanty and Campbell, in doing so, likely won't buy him any favors with the team's fanbase.