Chicago Bears Projected to Land Dynamic Iowa Hawkeyes Star

The Chicago Bears are being projected to end up landing a dynamic star from the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Sep 2, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs the ball against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium.
Sep 2, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs the ball against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
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A few Iowa Hawkeyes players will be making their way to playing on Sunday's in the 2025 NFL Draft. Over the last few years, quite a few former Iowa football players have made their way to the professional level.

Headlining this years class of Hawkeyes stars to head to the NFL is star running back Kaleb Johnson.

After a big-time 2024 season, Johnson is expected to be a second-round pick by many. There are quite a few teams who could use running back help that might very well target him in the draft.

With that being said, a new projection has come out about Johnson's future.

Josh Liskiewitz of Pro Football Focus has projected that the Chicago Bears will end up taking Johnson in the second round with the No. 41 overall pick.

"The current regime in Detroit traded D’Andre Swift (to the Eagles) in 2023, so don’t be surprised if one of Ben Johnson’s first orders of business is to find a replacement for Swift again," Liskiewitz wrote. "Johnson was outstanding for the Hawkeyes in 2024, rushing for 1,538 yards and forcing 66 missed tackles."

As mentioned in the projection, Johnson put up big-time numbers during the year. He started off the season as an intriguing draft prospect and ended it as an elite prospect.

Iowa is going to miss Johnson in a big way. However, as is the case with every former Hawkeye that heads on to the NFL, fans will continue rooting for him to find success.

Landing with the Bears would put him in a great position. Ben Johnson, the team's new head coach, is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL. Johnson could end up being the team's starting running back right off the bat.

Chicago is looking to build back into being a serious contender in the NFC. A long-term quarterback and running back duo of Caleb Williams and Johnson would be a nice step towards that goal.

Only time will tell where Johnson ends up going, but the Bears are definitely a team to keep an eye on.


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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.