Would a Patriots-Bears trade make sense for both sides?
The Chicago Bears have drafted a quarterback (Caleb Williams, No. 1 in 2024), an offensive tackle (Darnell Wright, No. 10 in 2023) and a wide receiver (Rome Odunze, No. 9 in 2024) early in the first round the last two years.
Could they pursue a running back with their top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Boise State star Ashton Jeanty is the No. 1 ranked running back in the 2025 class and most experts project him to go in the top 10.
The Bears own the No. 10 overall pick in Thursday’s first round, but it’s possible Jeanty won’t be on the board when its Chicago’s turn on the clock.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that “there are multiple personnel people who believe the Bears are praying that Jeanty slips to them at No. 10. They think new Bears coach Ben Johnson could feature Jeanty and D’Andre Swift as a two-headed duo the way the Lions did with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs when Johnson was Detroit’s offensive coordinator.”
Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported Wednesday that the Bears are looking to trade up.
League source text: “Chicago Bears looking to move up”
Another league source: SIX teams ahead of the Bears at No. 10 are open to moving back#NFLDraft
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) April 23, 2025
“I would say this, if there’s a trade into the top 10 or within the top 10, it will be for Jeanty,” The MMQB’s Albert Breer said Tuesday on NBC Sports Boston show Early Edition, as seen in the video player above.
“I don’t think it would be for a quarterback, I don’t think it will be for Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter. If someone does trade into the top 10 or within the top 10, my guess would be for Jeanty. … There could be teams like Chicago within the top 10 that could be looking to come up to get the running back.”
If the Bears want to trade up, would the New England Patriots be a good fit?
The Patriots own the No. 4 pick, and unlike several other teams in the top 10, running back is not one of their most glaring needs. The positions New England has to address early in the draft are offensive tackle, wide receiver and edge rusher.
Jeanty should still be available at No. 4. But will he be there at No. 5 when the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock? ESPN NFL national reporter Jeremy Fowler said last week that the Jaguars could be a sleeper team for Jeanty. The Las Vegas Raiders could potentially take Jeanty with the No. 6 pick, although they have more glaring needs than running back.
So if the Bears are desperate to land Jeanty, trading up to No. 4 might make the most sense for them. What would it cost? Based on Jimmy Johnson’s draft pick value chart, the Bears sending the No. 10 pick and the No. 39 pick (second round) to the Patriots for No. 4 overall would be a fair deal.
And then with the No. 10 pick, the Patriots could potentially target players such as tight end Tyler Warren, tight end Colston Loveland, offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., edge rusher Mykel Williams, and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, among others. If the Patriots got an extra second-round pick from the Bears, they could package some picks and trade back into the first round if a player they like starts to fall. It would at least give the Patriots some more options.
Of course, the Patriots could just stay at No. 4 and take LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, or even Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter if he’s available. But a trade down is definitely worth exploring, especially if a team is willing to overpay for the chance to take Jeanty.