Bear Digest

Why Bears Would Need to Take a Good Long Look at Ashton Jeanty

Analysis: Boise State's star back has impressed plenty of scouts but would it be better for the Bears to focus on building the offensive line before worrying about a back in the draft?

Gene Chamberlain

Ashton Jeanty often has opposing tacklers grasping at air, but can he do the same against next-level competition?
Ashton Jeanty often has opposing tacklers grasping at air, but can he do the same against next-level competition? / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
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The focus for the Bears draft automatically will go to the offensive and defensive lines.

On offense, it must go in this direction because a team ranked 26th in rushing and giving up the most sacks obviously has blocking issues. If there are blocking issues, it means problems for Caleb Williams.

There is another way to help fix the running game, though, and it can even work in the passing game. It needs to work hand in hand with better blockers.

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This would be if the Bears found a special running back in this draft, someone who is gifted as a big-time playmaker.

A player like a young Saquon Barkley would be just the thing. These don't come along often, and running backs don't even get drafted often in the first round.

The Bears appear most likely to draft ninth. Since the 2018 draft when Barkley went second overall, the only back to go as high or higher than ninth was Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson. He was taken eighth last year.

So would need to be a very special back, yet some some draft analysts see one available if the Bears pick ninth.

To some, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty is a bit undersized for backs at 210 pounds, but his weight seem open to debate. He is listed at some places as 215 and Robinson is 215.

Size isn't everything, anyway. Bucky Irving, at 195 pounds, has led Tampa Bay's resurgence on the ground from last in the league in 2023 to seventh this year, and he has them in the playoff picture going into Week 18. Jahmyr Gibbs is only 200 pounds and is the leading rusher for the Lions' powerful ground game.

Jeanty has spectacular feet, a mean jump cut, an ability to run through arm tackles and blazing speed. Is he a back who should go in the top 10?

NFL Mock Draft Data Base has him listed as a first-rounder on 65.1% of mock drafts surveyed. He has an overall ranking of 12th and is projected as a No. 10 pick.

The consensus is Dallas would take him at No. 15 to try and finally end its hunt for a back who can do for them what they haven't had since they had a young Ezekiel Elliot.

Penn State coach James Franklin was talking to reporters in advance of his team's college playoff game with Boise State and was told by reporters Jeanty is one of the best backs this year.

"No, he's one of the best running backs in the history of college football," Franklin told them.

That's high praise, indeed, but he is only 132 yards from Barry Sanders' 2,628-yard single-season NCAA rushing record.

Several Penn State players meant it as praise and said he reminds them of Blake Corum from Michigan. If that's true, it's more like damning with faint praise because Corum didn't go until the third round to the Rams and has 197 yards rushing for them in 16 games.

It also will need to be taken into account that Jeanty rarely saw SEC or Big Ten level competition. He did get 85 yards against UCLA last year in a loss, had 44 yards in a loss to Washington last year, but broke free for 192 yards against Oregon in a loss this season, had 226 in a win over Washington State and 259 in a win over Oregon State. Those were easily the best competition he faced.

The safe way would be to build a running attack with linemen who are high draft picks and with a good, multidimensional running back.

The gamble that could pay off big time or blow up in a team's face would be to base a turnaround in the running game on taking Jeanty but not addressing the offensive line until Round 2. The Bears do have two second-round picks, though.

Considering GM Ryan Poles is supposed to be an offensive line expert, it would seem the Bears would be more likely to lean the other way, toward drafting linemen.

Those highlight runs are awfully fun, though.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.