Prior to the start of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, rumors were flying that the Chicago Bears were preparing to move up in the draft. The presumption was that the Bears were finding a way to land Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty as the first draft pick of the Ben Johnson era.
There was a blockbuster in the minutes after the draft started, but it did not include the Bears. Instead, the Jacksonville Jaguars moved up from No. 5 to the No. 2 pick in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. The trade cleared the way for Jeanty to be selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 6 pick.
While Bears fans will certainly grow to like the selection of Colston Loveland the more that they realize the impact he had on Michigan's offense, many are waking up with the realization that their dream of Jeanty in a Bears' uniform are never going to come true--at least, not anytime soon.
While meeting with reporters after the first round, Ryan Poles explained why the Bears did not move up in the first round.
"When we made those calls up, it took you out. I briefly mentioned this on Tuesday — there's a run coming up here that I think you can make a pretty big impact on your football team. To give up that for one person, so giving up two for one — and it probably would've been even more than that — it just didn't make sense," Poles told reporters at Halas Hall.
Ashton Jeanty was luxury the Chicago Bears couldn't afford
In other words, despite the work that the Bears have done with their roster this offseason, the team couldn't justify the cost it would take to move up in the draft and select Jeanty. Given the talent that exists at the running back position in this year's draft class, it's not surprise that Poles and the Bears came to that realization.
With two second-round picks, there is a strong chance that the Bears will take a running back on Friday night. Kaleb Johnson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Quinshon Judkins are at the top of the list of running backs the Bears are likely considering.