Chicago Bears could look in a surprise direction in the first round after the hiring of Ben Johnson

The Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson on Monday gives the organization a completely new outlook. From an offensive standpoint, Johnson can take the Bears to new heights that fans have never seen before. The franchise has always been viewed as defense-first, but that could soon change with a new staff around the former Lions offensive coordinator.

Despite the Bears desperately needing help on front on the offensive line, the Johnson hiring could change the way that the front office approaches the upcoming draft. Either way, the line will be addressed in order to protect quarterback Caleb Williams ahead of his second season in the league. Knowing how Johnson operates with his offense, there could be a scenario where a certain prospect is too good to pass up on with the tenth overall pick.

The Chicago Bears could now look to draft Ashton Jeanty

If the offensive line is handled properly in free agency, it could make the Bears flexible enough in the draft to consider giving Jeanty a serious look with the tenth pick. The Boise State product finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up this past season, and took the football world by storm with the numbers he posted in his final collegiate season.

Jeanty finished the season with 2,601 rushing yards on 374 carries, which averages out to 7.0 yards per rush. He was flat-out dominant in every way and he left his mark in college football history despite not coming away with the national player of the year award. Jeanty ran for 29 scores and had six different games with at least three touchdowns.

Ashton Jeanty would fit Ben Johnson’s offense perfectly

Despite the Bears having D’Andre Swift on at a relatively high price tag, that might not be as a big of a factor when looking at Jeanty as a prospect based on who is now in charge. In Detroit, Johnson’s system thrived with two big-time running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs and former Bear, David Montgomery.

Jeanty and Swift could play off one another nicely if Johnson and the front office see fit, which should be the case if the opportunity presents itself. Swift had a solid first year in Chicago even with all of the movement on the offensive coaching staff. The Georgia product had 253 carries for 959 yards on the ground. He punched in six rushing scores and averaged 3.8 yards per carry, which is impressive seeing how brutal it was for Chicago to get anything going on the ground through the first three weeks of the campaign.

Swift showed off his ability to be an asset in the passing game as well. Even though he did not have a single score through the air, Swift had 386 receiving yards on 52 grabs. He found a way to be versatile for an offense that was hard to watch for a majority of the year. Johnson could look to use Swift in the passing game a lot more in 2025 if they decide Jeanty is the right draft card to turn in.

The only way Jeanty might not be the guy for the Chicago Bears comes down to two factors. One is all dependent on how the front office decides to address the offensive line prior to the draft. If they can land two big names to join the front protecting Williams, Jeanty makes plenty of sense. The other factor is how much the new staff likes Roschon Johnson. If they see a way where they can make him and Swift work as the two backs without needing to upgrade, they could stick to the trenches for the tenth overall selection.