Ashton Jeanty feels like the hottest name debated among Chicago Bears fans ahead of the NFL draft next month. Many see the Boise State running back as one of the class’s three or four best prospects. Yet because he’s a running back, it feels like a tossup if he will go in the top 10. Chicago feels like one of those sports that make sense. They were 25th in rushing last season. Their offensive line just got a major overhaul in free agency, which eases the pressure to target it at #10. Head coach Ben Johnson is a huge proponent of running the football. Everything lines up.
Former ESPN draft insider [Todd McShay](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vktmE66vKWs&ab_channel=ToddMcShay) agrees. He believes the odds are high that the Bears could target running back at #10. However, Jeanty isn’t the name he mentioned during his latest mock draft. That would be North Carolina standout Omarion Hampton. McShay believes his mixture of size, power, contact balance, and versatility make him the perfect type of Johnson back. Some experts believe he’s actually the best runner in this class, even over Jeanty. There is no question his momentum has picked up over the past two months.
Plenty of people, including some top insiders, have hinted that he likely won’t make it to the 10th pick anyway. In such a case, the Bears taking Hampton would be seen as them having planned to go running back the entire time. Not that it’s a bad thing. The fact that he draws comparisons to David Montgomery should tell you that Johnson and his staff would gravitate toward him. It would be a monumental upset if the Bears had him and Ashton Jeanty on the board and still took Hampton. Fans are terrified of this idea. Taking running backs in the 1st round is considered taboo because the position has a shorter shelf life, and it isn’t difficult to find good ones later in drafts. Still, some cases are different. Jeanty and Hampton are rare specimens who can help transform an offense.
