The Chicago Bears are entering the 2025 NFL Draft with four picks inside the top 75. However, trading down from their No. 10 overall selection would give the franchise even more draft capital to work with.
Maybe their top target is already off the board. Rather than reaching, they can accrue more picks while landing their target at a more apt position. Or, a top prospect has slid a bit down the board and an interested team wants to jump up into the top 10 to ensure they land him. That’s a valuable place for the Bears to be, capable or controlling trade talks.
But it takes two to tango and most teams have been unwilling to move up thus far. The biggest outlier appears to be the Denver Broncos. Of all the teams looking to swing a deal on draft night, the Broncos are the team most openly trying to move up, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.
“There has been, however, a lack of teams willing to trade up — at least so far. Denver is one of those: The Bronco have made inquiries about moving up in Round 1, according to sources,” Schefter wrote. “But there aren’t many others. This always could change when players start falling and teams are on the clock.”
Why Broncos-Chicago Bears are a trade match
The Broncos and Bears have very similar needs when it comes to running back. Denver is in a bit worse spot, as they don’t even have a veteran like D’Andre Swift to fall back on. And if they’re both targeting Jeanty, it seems unlikely that Chicago would let him slip away.
But No. 10 is still high for a running back. For as good as Jeanty is, the Bears have more than one hole on their roster. With the 2025 class being deep on runners, Chicago could instead flip their No. 10 pick to Denver for a treasure trove of draft picks.
With the Broncos attempting to move up 11 spots in this scenario, the Bears could realistic hold out for a 2026 first-round pick, as well as any mid-round picks they’d get in 2025. Chicago is able to bulk up the draft war chest and in theory future talent pipeline while Denver finds their starting running back.
Ultimately, if the Bears “love” Jeanty as much as various reports have stated, perhaps this idea isn’t in consideration. But if Chicago is using traditional draft wisdom, it seems more appropriate to land their running back later in the draft rather than with the No. 10 overall pick. But if the Broncos are ready to buck that trend, the Bears should be prepared to make them pay up.
Who Bears would draft
There are plenty of running backs who have made some noise as the potential 2025 RB2 candidate. However, Omarion Hampton of North Carolina is the only one to get consistent first-round buzz. Now holding pick No. 20, Chicago can add a new weapon to their backfield in the form of Hampton.
The running back spent three years with the Tar Heels, running for 3,565 yards and 36 touchdowns. He had 15 touchdowns in both 2023 and 2024, leading the ACC in rushing both seasons. Hampton ended his time with UNC running for a career-high 1,660 yards while earning First-team All-American honors.
Hampton would give the Bears are intriguing size/speed combination. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine, but has no problem getting through defenders at the line of scrimmage. As he prepares to enter the NFL, Hampton received a comparison to Rhamondre Stevenson of the New England Patriots from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
“High-volume battering ram with a three-ingredient recipe of size, strength and aggression. Hampton is a linear runner lacking creativity and wiggle, but once the gas is engaged, he runs like a downhill truck whose brake lines have been cut,” Zierlein wrote. “He has the base, balance and power to batter tacklers and reignite runs after contact but he fails to recognize alternative run lanes that offer easier paths and more yardage.”
“He needs to work on his pass protection but can create positive plays on swing passes and screens,” Zierlein concluded. “Hampton is a tone-setting future starter who can handle a heavy workload, but he absorbs rare levels of heavy contact that could create durability or longevity issues if he doesn’t learn to pick and choose his battles.”
If Jeanty is on the clock and the Bears are convinced he will revolutionize their offense, he is likely the pick. But if Chicago has any doubts, or if they receive an offer they simply can’t refuse, trading down is an obvious option. If the Bears decide to take door number two, look for the Broncos to be involved in trade talks.
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