The 2025 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night with the many insiders still trying to speculate what the Chicago Bears will do with the No. 10 selection in the first round.
Ryan Poles and Ian Cunningham met with reporters on Tuesday but it was out of obligation than it was the Bears' brass openly revealing what their plan might be for the first round. In recent days, there has been plenty of smoke between the Bears and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
There appears to be a consensus among insiders that if Jeanty were to fall to the Bears at No. 10, the team wouldn't hesitate in selecting the running back. The question becomes would the Bears be willing to move up in the draft in order to ensure they will be able to take Jeanty?
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN is among the reporters who believe the Bears want Jeanty. However, if Jeanty is taken ahead of the Bears, Fowler reports that the team may shift its focus to the offensive line. Along those lines, Fowler makes a strong connection between the New England Patriots and Will Campbell, while also mentioning Kelvin Banks Jr. and Armand Membou as potential options for the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6.
The Chicago Bears aren't forgetting about the offensive line
The idea of three tackles being taken ahead of the Bears' selection isn't one that has been mentioned often during the pre-draft process. If anything, Banks going earlier than the Bears at No. 10 would be a surprise, considering the thought process is that the Bears could potentially trade back and still land him in the middle of the first round.
Regardless, Fowler's reporting would suggest that the Bears aren't locked onto the idea of taking a skill-position player with their first selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. The focus of the offseason for the Bears had been addressing their offensive line for not just this season but multiple seasons ahead. Given that thought process, if Jeanty is off the board and an offensive tackle is available, the Bears may turn back to that strategy for the draft.