The Chicago Bears are coming down the home stretch toward this year’s NFL Draft and there’s heavy speculation they could be in the market for a running back. With D’Andre Swift already in place, new head coach Ben Johnson could be looking for a second running back to put it all together and discussion has centered around Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty is coming off a standout career at Boise State and could be the weapon Johnson needs to bring his offense together. But as the star running back talked to reporters in Green Bay, he sent a message about the Bears’ interest and what it would mean to head to Chicago.
Ashton Jeanty Says Trading Up For Him Would Be A Good Decision for Bears
Jeanty was asked what he thought about the chances that he would become a Bear. While Chicago would likely have to trade up from the 10th overall pick to make that happen, Jeanty responded by saying that it would be “a good decision” for the Bears to pull the trigger.
“I feel pretty good,” Jeanty said about playing in Chicago. “I don’t think that would be a bad decision by them.”
Ashton Jeanty on the possibility of the Bears trading up to draft him & being compared to Walter Payton 👀⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OCFMc1wcQh
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) April 23, 2025
The 21-year-old was also asked about a comparison to Walter Payton, who led the Bears’ rushing attack with a Hall of Fame career from 1975-87. While Payton’s are big shoes to fill, Jeanty produced another encouraging answer.
“It feels pretty good to be compared to any great,” Jeanty said. “But especially him, you know, who’s done so many great things for the game of football.”
Jeanty’s expectations are high after putting up video game numbers the final two years at Boise State. After running for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023 he led the nation with 374 carries and 2,601 yards with 29 touchdowns for the Broncos in 2024.
His final year helped him finish runner-up to Travis Hunter in the Heisman Trophy voting and has him as the league’s most highly regarded running back prospect since Bijan Robinson entered the league in 2023.
It sets up a difficult path to acquire Jeanty in the draft. Although the Jacksonville Jaguars have been linked to the star running back with the fifth overall pick, it could be a smoke screen to get a team like the Bears to trade up. Chicago also has to contend with other teams who could use an upgrade in the backfield who are selecting in the top 10 and teams behind them could try to trade up if Jeanty falls down the board.
It could result in a mad dash to acquire a potential game-changer in a draft where there aren’t many available and it could see Chicago making a wise investment should they decide to make a move.