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[Detroit Lions]

POD Community Mock: With the 2nd pick, the Browns select...

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With the second pick in the 2025 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Cleveland Browns select...

One quarterback is off the board in our 2025 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft. The Tennessee Titans have predictably taken Cam Ward off the board.

So what do the Cleveland Browns do?

Their quarterback situation has been a mess longer than many of you have been alive, but every other passer in this draft class comes with significant questions. Will Cleveland pivot to the best pass rusher in the class? A generational enigma who can play both corner and wideout? Or will they shock everyone by going in a completely different direction?

It’s up to POD commenter workdontstop to determine the future of the Cleveland Browns. As acting general manager in our community mock, workdontstop represents the first potential pivot point in the draft.

With the second pick in the 2025 POD Community Mock Draft, the Browns have selected...

QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado

Here’s workdontstop explaining the pick:

Sorry, Coach Prime .

Team needs: QB Edge WR OT DT

Cleveland has a disastrous $230 million dollar investment into Deshaun Watson that’s currently failing. He’s likely to miss the entire 2025 season with a torn Achilles that he suffered in October 2024. To make matters worse, it ruptured again in the same foot by just rotating it while rehabbing. Era over.

The only addition to the QB room was trading for a Super Bowl winning quarterback from the Eagles (no, not that guy. The one with the two gloves). This is Kenny Pickett’s job to win by default. Free agency has dried for veteran quarterback unless Carson Wentz is available. smh.

Browns QB room has been a dumpster fire the last 10 years. Starting with Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett, Baker Mayfield (somewhat), Tyrod Taylor, RGIII, Deshon Kiser, Cody Kessler, Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel. The time to break this curse has to be now.

Teams win behind the hands of the quarterback. Shedeur will certainly fit as the savior Cleveland fans and organization has been looking for over a decade. He stands at 6-foot-1 with a 74% completion rate his last season at Colorado. He threw for a total of 134 touchdowns with 27 picks in four years.

He plays with confidence and composure, and can buy time being mobile in the pocket. He’s an ideal fit in a Kevin Stefanski offense if you just look at his traits. If he can stop taking unnecessary sacks and start to throw the ball away more, he can be a more productive football player.

P.S. Myles Garrett did an interview with Andrew Siciliano on March 15 discussing the quarterback situation and stated “I like the idea enough to be here smiling in front of you, because I think we have a good chance of that happening and making the most out of it.” Drafting Sanders seems enough for me.

Other options:

- DE/OLB Abdul Carter

- CB/WR Travis Hunter

Grade the pick below, and share your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...ft-cleveland-browns-select-qb-shedeur-sanders

 

[Detroit Lions]

POD Community Mock: With the 1st overall pick, the Titans select...

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Our 2025 NFL Community Mock Draft kicks off with an expected pick from the Tennessee Titans.

The 2025 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft kicks off with the Tennessee Titans on the clock. As of now, there doesn’t appear to be too much mystery surrounding their pick. As for right now, Fanduel Sportsbook has Miami quarterback Cam Ward as the heavy favorite to be the first overall pick (-1350). The next best odds are Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter, who is all the way down at +600 odds.

But the POD Community Mock works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it subverts expectations. Will this be the case this year? That is up to our first community mock drafter: Erwin NCL, who is representing the Titans in this year’s mock.

And with the first pick in the 2025 POD Community Mock, the Titans have selected....

QB Cam Ward, Miami.

Here’s Erwin NCL with the explanation for the pick:

It’s safe to say the Will Levis experiment in Nashville ended in failure. Too many boneheaded plays, memes and interceptions make the good plays moot, no matter how gutsy and likable of a player he is. The Titans are getting off a rollercoaster ride with too many descents and not enough ascents—I mean, Mason Rudolph? So this is the time for Brian Callahan and Mike Borgonzi to get the signal caller they will ride or die with.

Evaluating this draft class, there is only one guy, really. Although the likes of Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart are intriguing players and may become good NFL quarterbacks, they come with too many question marks. Shedeur only played for his dad, lacks athleticism and is too conservative with the ball in his hands. Jaxson Dart is way too close to Will Levis for this franchise to take a stab in.

All the while, Cam Ward is the most pro-ready of the class, played on multiple schemes in his college career and has shown the ability to improve after each and every season so far. Remember, this is a player who was not a passing QB in high school, started in Incarnate Word, a FCS program, transferred to Washington State and then to Miami, becoming ACC Player of the Year. Analyzing his play on the field, Cam Ward has the mobility and athleticism for the modern NFL, while developing as a pocket passer and having the most coveted ability for a young quarterback: out-of-structure play. With the first pick, the Titans leave the mayo past behind and look to the future by drafting Cam Ward, QB, Miami.

At the end of each of our first-round picks, we are giving the community the opportunity to grade each team’s pick. So vote in the poll below:

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...ock-draft-tennessee-titans-select-qb-cam-ward

 

[Detroit Lions]

Lions GM Brad Holmes offers challenge to 2 third-year players

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Detroit Lions general manager had a message and a challenge for both Hendon Hooker and Brodric Martin.

While Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has had a stellar resume when it comes to his four draft classes, two third-round picks from the 2023 NFL Draft stand out as rare question marks: quarterback Hendon Hooker and defensive tackle Brodric Martin. While both picks were made with long-term improvements in mind—both were clear developmental prospects—as each enters Year 3, there are questions about both their present and future roles. On Monday, Holmes essentially offered a challenge to both.

For Hooker, the message was very clear and very direct.

“If Hendon wants to be the No. 2 quarterback, then win the No. 2 quarterback job,” Holmes said.

This offseason, the Lions opted to sign seven-year veteran Kyle Allen to add competition to the room. While Allen signed a veteran-minimum deal and has not started a game since 2022, his overall experience is something Detroit’s quarterback room is lacking beyond Jared Goff. That said, Holmes still believes in the promise of Hooker, but he’s like everybody else on the roster: not above competition.

“We like Hendon, excited about him,” Holmes said. “I’ve always said about Hendon, you know, kind of a lot of steps on his journey coming out of high school and, you know, at Virginia Tech or Tennessee, like, it wasn’t immediately he was the guy. So, you know, he had the injury that first year, then last year that was the first year that he kind of was able to do a full year of training camp and during the season. And then we brought Teddy Bridgewater in just because we were gearing up for the playoffs. and postseason and he just wasn’t ready yet, you know? And he understood that. But still got high hopes for him, but nobody’s gonna be given a job either.”

The path isn’t so clear for Martin. Last year, the Lions signed Pro Bowl nose tackle DJ Reader to a two-year deal, and this offseason, the Lions added Roy Lopez on a fully guaranteed $3.6 million deal. That leaves Martin entering camp as the clear third-string nose tackle—a spot that is likely on the outside of the 53-man roster bubble looking in. Holmes didn’t mince words about Martin’s development: it’s now or never.

“Look, he’s got to be consistent,” Holmes said. “Obviously, you guys all know I was very clear and transparent that, you know, he was more in the developmental project bucket when we took him. But, you know, now it’s time for him not to just—because he brought flashes in the preseason. When he came from his injury, he brought flashes, but you know, he had some low points as well. So we need to see more of the consistency of the flashes and he just needs to be a consistent player.”

Throughout his first two years in Detroit, Martin has spent most of his time on the sidelines. Injuries and lack of development have held him to just five game appearances and 53 total defensive snaps. If he can’t justify his roster spot this summer in training camp, he’ll become the very first Holmes Day 2 draft pick to be released.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...offers-challenge-hendon-hooker-brodric-martin

 

[Detroit Lions]

POD Community Mock: With the 4th pick, the Patriots select...

Photo by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

With the 4th pick in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the New England Patriots select...

The New England Patriots are in full rebuild mode. With new head coach Mike Vrabel back in Foxborough, the Patriots went crazy in free agency in an effort to build a dynasty once again. They certainly have a lot of new faces in town, but if they are truly going to reclaim their spot atop the AFC East, they’re going to need to start drafting well.

That begins this year, and in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, we are giving that responsibility to POD commenter DetroitBrickSquad. As a reminder, here are how the picks have gone thus far:

1. Titans: QB Cam Ward
2. Browns: QB Shedeur Sanders
3. Giants: WR/CB Travis Hunter

With the fourth overall pick in the POD Community Mock, the New England Patriots have selected Tetairoa McMillan, wide receiver out of Arizona. Here’s DetroitBrickSquad explaining the pick:

(DISCLAIMER: I made this pick before the Stefon Diggs signing so do with that what you will)

We spent a lot of money on our needs this year in free agency. Most of those needs were addressed on the defense and while I believe in picking the best player available, I see more of a need to secure the best offensive player available over the best defensive player available. T-Mac spent his collegiate years at Arizona and if you looked at his stats/tape, you would never guess that the Wildcats finished with a 4-8 record. T-Mac was the only bright spot with 84 receptions for a whopping 1319 yards and 8 touchdowns.

T-Mac is a prototype contested-catch receiver at 6-foot-5 and a light 212 pounds with amazing field awareness and YAC ability. His QB often threw up prayer balls for him and a ridiculous amount of hospital balls, yet T-Mac survived. His ball tracking, his agility, and his football IQ come together to create a true weapon for any offense, but with Drake Maye he has a chance to reach the next level. With the addition of Stefon Diggs to mentor him and an NFL strength/nutrition regimen at his disposal, T-Mac has all the tools to become a franchise WR1 at any position (primarily X or Z). T-Mac understands the game plan and can be utilized all over the field with an improved offensive line to give him the time for his routes to develop.

The downsides of T-Mac are all based on attributes that are coachable and will come with extra time in the weight room/film room, so I see a far higher ceiling for him than the media/public. T-Mac has heart, IQ, and grit and those intangibles can not be coached. This player will be a force for us for years.

I want to reiterate that this pick was made before the Stefon Diggs signing was announced. So with that in mind, what grade do you give this pick?

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...new-england-patriots-select-tetairoa-mcmillan

 

[Detroit Lions]

VIDEO: Kent Lee Platte talks RAS, previews Detroit Lions’ 2025 Draft

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Meko and Morgan are back on the Pride of Detroit YouTube channel discussing the upcoming NFL Draft, and are joined by the creator of RAS himself, Kent Lee Platte.

Meko Scott and I (Morgan Cannon) are back on the Pride of Detroit YouTube channel, discussing the 2025 NFL Draft alongside the creator of RAS (Relative Athletic Score), Kent Lee Platte.

We dive into all things draft-related as it pertains to the Detroit Lions, starting off with Kent explaining how RAS came to be, as well as how a player’s RAS factors into their ability to succeed in the NFL. From there we jump into what Kent thinks of the Lions’ approach to the draft in the past, and what he believes is important to general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell when they are building out their roster.

We also get Kent’s thoughts on what appears to be a deep offensive and defensive line class, and how it might work in the Lions’ favor come draft weekend. Lastly, Kent offers up some of his favorite targets for the Lions at 28th overall, as well as some of his favorite prospects that are more likely to be selected on days two and three.

You can catch the full breakdown in the video below or via this link on YouTube:

As always, please be sure to like and subscribe to the Pride of Detroit YouTube Channel. It helps us a ton and we sincerely appreciate all of the support!

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...ative-athletic-score-upcoming-kent-lee-platte

 

[Detroit Lions]

Detroit Lions think 2026 international game is ‘highly likely’

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions are clearly expecting to play an international game during the 2026 NFL season.

The NFL recently announced that there will be a total of seven international games for the 2025 season, and with all seven host teams already announced, we can deduce the Detroit Lions won’t play overseas this upcoming season. But team president Rod Wood spoke at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday and said they are fully expecting to be on the international slate next year.

“I think it’s highly likely, especially given that in (20)26, we’ll have the extra home game,” Wood said to a small group of local Detroit reporters.

The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise given the last time the Lions played an international game was back in 2015 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The league recently made a rule that teams will host a home international game every eight years, and typically those teams are from the conference that has nine (instead of eight) home games on the schedule. In 2026, NFC teams will have an extra home game.

As for where they’ll end up going, Wood says they certainly have some interest in playing in Germany. Not only were they recently granted international marketing rights in the European country, but Amon-Ra St. Brown has German roots and has developed a fanbase over there as one of the few German-speaking players in the NFL.

“We’re certainly overdue,” Wood continued. “And with the markets that we’ve now taken some marketing interest in, certainly playing in Germany with St. Brown would be an interesting thing to think about.”

In addition to playing an international game, the Lions expanded their marketing rights this year, with Detroit now allowed to expand their reach into Brazil.

“Brazil is another market—there’s a lot of football fans down there,” Wood said. “There’s some connection: Ford has a big operation down there, so it could lead into some other sponsorships that are auto (industry) related, etc. Just build a better fanbase worldwide. I think, right now, we’ve got a lot of popular players, and playing to that is a good thing.”

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...026-international-game-highly-likely-rod-wood

 

[Detroit Lions]

POD Community Mock: With the 6th overall pick, the Raiders select...

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

With the sixth pick in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Raiders select...

There have already been some surprises in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft—our annual mock draft that allows our commenters to take over and act as NFL general managers.

The real NFL Draft always seems to come with some early surprises, as well, and the source of many of those twists has often been the Las Vegas Raiders. This year, the Raiders hold the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and that means we could be in for some shenanigans early on Day 1.

But in our Community Mock Draft, it’ll be up to commenter akumaizer to make sure Las Vegas makes the right and logical pick. Here’s a look at how the board has fallen thus far:

1. Titans: QB Cam Ward
2. Browns: QB Shedeur Sanders
3. Giants: WR/CB Travis Hunter
4. Patriots: WR Tetairoa McMillan
5. Jaguars: DT Mason Graham

With the sixth overall pick in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Raiders have selected...

Abdul Carter, edge defender out of Penn State.

Here’s akumaizer explaining the pick:

The Raiders have many holes to fill, but in this front office we believe in drafting top talent over need. And outside of Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers, this team lacks high end players. If you have the chance to draft elite talent, you do it. EDGE might not be a big need with Malcom Koonce coming back on a one-year deal but it is only one year and he‘s coming off of knee surgery. A theoretical rotation of Koonce and the disappointing Tyree Wilson could work on the other side of Maxx, but it’s a risk and you just don’t pass up on a stud and on my board, Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter are 1 and 2.

Carter is an unbelievable complement to the all-world Crosby. Coming in at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, he has amazing explosion and great bend that is destined to wreck offenses. Mahomes, Herbert, and Nix should be scared with these two coming at them. That he was also productive as an outside rushing 3-4 linebacker in college shows his versatility and ability to move him around. His pure athletic ability and relative inexperience as an edge rusher tells me that after only one year there, his ceiling is unknown. That is a scary concept. He plays with an aggressive style that will fit the Pete Carroll Raiders very well. Negative: he was charged with misdemeanor assault last year. I’m not going to excuse it and tow truck drivers are people who have jobs to do and all people deserve to be treated with respect. But there are levels when it comes to this type of charge and in my opinion this isn’t a big red flag for me.

Going into the draft I assumed that Hunter and Carter would be gone by 6. The most likely pick was Ashton Jeanty and a backup plan of Will Johnson. Thankfully the draft fell to Raider Nation. Just Win Baby!

Grade the Raiders’ pick of Abdul Carter below and sound off in the comment section at the bottom of the page.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...ft-las-vegas-raiders-select-edge-abdul-carter

 

[Detroit Lions]

Your daily Lions trivia game, Thursday edition

Think you can figure out which Lions player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

We’re back for another day of the Pride of Detroit in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

Today’s Pride of Detroit in-5 game​

If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article.

Previous games​

Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games​

NFL in-5
MLB in-5
MMA in-5

Pride of Detroit in-5 instructions​

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Lions player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Enjoy!

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025/4/3/24400197/sb-nation-lions-daily-trivia-in-5

 

[Detroit Lions]

Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs among several Lions changing numbers

Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images

Several Detroit Lions players are changing their numbers for the 2025 NFL season.

The Detroit Lions announced on Thursday that eight different players are changing their jersey numbers with the team, while also announcing the numbers for the incoming players from free agency.

Most notably, Jameson Williams is switching from No. 9 to the No. 1 jersey, while running back Jahmyr Gibbs has gone from No. 26 to No. 0.

It’s no surprise that Williams eventually made the switch to No. 1. When the Lions traded Jeff Okudah a few years back, Williams said he wanted that number, but eventually opted not to take it. Williams wore the 1 during his breakout college year at Alabama.

Also notable, 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold is going from 0 to No. 6, taking the number left unclaimed after Ifeatu Melifonwu signed elsewhere in free agency.

Here’s a full list of the number changes, along with the previous number held by each player:

• RB Jahmyr Gibbs — 0 (previously 26)
• WR Jameson Williams — 1 (previously 9)
• WR Tim Patrick — 12 (previously 17)
• EDGE — Al-Quadin Muhammad — 96 (previously 69)
• DT Brodric Martin — 99 (previously 96)
• CB Terrion Arnold — 6 (previously 0)
• CB Ennis Rakestraw — 9 (previously 15)
• DB Morice Norris — 26 (previously 40)

And here is a list of new Detroit Lions players and the jersey numbers they’ll be wearing this season:

• WR Ronnie Bell — 10
• TE Kenny Yeboah — 88
• DT Roy Lopez — 51
• LB Grant Stuard — 15
• CB D.J. Reed — 4
• CB Rock Ya-Sin — 23

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...ng-several-lions-changing-jersey-numbers-2025

 

[Detroit Lions]

Open thread: Should the Lions trade up, down, or stay put in the NFL Draft?

Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

Trade up? Trade down? Stay put? Which option would you prefer for the Detroit Lions in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft?

The Detroit Lions are set to enter the 2025 NFL Draft with seven total selections at their disposal, including picks 28, 60, 102, 130, 196, 228, and 244. Since becoming general manager, Brad Holmes has taken a roster devoid of talent and stock it full of mainstays and fixtures through the draft. Cornerstones of the franchise like Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Alim McNeill all came from the 2021 draft class for Detroit, and all have penned big-money extensions within the last calendar year. New contracts for other draftees like Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph don’t seem too far away, and who knows what the future holds beyond that. But this much is for certain: Detroit will continue to build their roster with a dedicated approach to talent evaluation and talent acquisition through the draft.

Which brings us to today’s topic of discussion in regards to the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft...

Should the Detroit Lions trade up, down, or stay put in the 2025 NFL Draft?​

Out of some offseason boredom curiosity, I took a look at the draft day trades made since the 2011 NFL Draft—the first draft that implemented the rookie wage scale. With the Lions holding the No. 28 pick in this year’s draft, I narrowed my focus to trades made by teams with picks 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, or 32 since 2011. After that, I tossed out a couple of outliers, like the 2023 trade that included Sean Payton or the 2015 deal between the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints that saw Jimmy Graham and Max Unger swap cities. However, that trade between the Saints and New England Patriots back in 2017 included Brandin Cooks getting dealt before his rookie deal was up, and it seems at least semi-relevant for a Lions team with a receiver they don’t seem to be in a hurry to sign to an extension.

In total, there were 28 trades since 2011 that fit the above criteria. Of those 28 trades, a handful were of the trade-up variety—and some of them were massive. In 2017, the Chiefs packaged up 3,639 worth of draft pick value according to the Fitzgerald-Spielberger chart to move up to the No. 10 selection to take a guy named Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs, historically speaking, haven’t been shy about making big moves like this with their late first-round selections, but the other two deals were for established NFL talent. They made the move for Frank Clark in 2019 and that cost them 3,041 in draft capital (picks No. 29, 92, and a 2020 2nd). Most recently, in 2021, they recognized their need for an offensive tackle and shipped out 2,851 draft pick value (picks No. 31, 94, 136, and a 2022 5th) to Baltimore for Orlando Brown, pick No. 58, and a 2022 sixth-rounder.

Another team historically active at the end of the first round has been the New England Patriots, making five trades at pick 27 or later—second to only the Chiefs since 2011. New England, too, struck a balance between moving up and down, but unlike Kansas City, the Patriots moved completely out of the first round twice (2011 and 2013). The Minnesota Vikings sent the Patriots picks. No. 52, 83, 102, and 229 in the 2013 NFL Draft to move up and select... Cordarrelle Patterson at No. 29. That move alone netted the Patriots the fourth-most draft capital value (1,367) among these 28 trades.

Anecdotal evidence aside, it brings us to the Lions current situation with the 28th overall pick in the draft. It’s a fool’s errand to project who could be available when the Lions are on the clock in a few weeks, but for Holmes, that ultimately means so little to his endgame. Holmes can clearly identify talent, and he is confident in his ability to move around the board to find that talent. He’s proven to be both aggressive and patient in his approach on draft day, and in the last three consecutive drafts, he’s made deals in the first round.

So what do you prefer the Lions do in the first round: trade down, trade up, or stay put?

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...ade-up-down-or-stay-put-in-the-2025-nfl-draft

 

[Detroit Lions]

POD Community Mock: With the 10th pick, the Bears select...

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

With the 10th pick in the POD Community Mock Draft, the Chicago Bears select...

While the Green Bay Packers are probably still the biggest Detroit Lions rival, the Chicago Bears are already making a pretty good case for 2025. With former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson taking the Bears head coach job—and ruffling some feathers since he’s been there—I know many Lions fans are wishing terrible things on the Bears franchise.

But in this year’s Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, commenter Xlgrev has the unenviable task of trying to help the Bears, as their acting general manager. Here’s a look at the board the Bears are looking at so far:

1. Titans: QB Cam Ward
2. Browns: QB Shedeur Sanders
3. Giants: WR/CB Travis Hunter
4. Patriots: WR Tetairoa McMillan
5. Jaguars: DT Mason Graham
6. Raiders: EDGE Abdul Carter
7. Jets: OT Armand Membou
8. Panthers: TE Tyler Warren
9. Saints: OT Will Campbell

With the 10th pick in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Chicago Bears have selected...

Ashton Jeanty, running back out of Boise State.

Here Xlgrev with the explanation:

It buzzed through the Bear’s war room that the Saints had taken Will Campbell. There was an audible groan heard through Halas Hall, but one voice boomed “yes.” It was the gritty and strained voice of the young, new head coach that didn’t mind going against the grain.

“Let’s get our man!” Ben Johnson shouted. A much older voice raised his hand. The trembling hand belonged to George H. McCaskey and he said: “We need more defense. In this pass happy league wouldn’t Will Johnson, the cornerback out of Michigan make the most sense?”

Kevin Warren, forever the yes man, replied: “It does and we could market Johnson and Johnson as the best cornerback tandem in football.”

Unnerved, Ben Johnson said without blinking an eye: “Jeanty is undoubtedly one of the best players in this entire draft when you disregard positional value. This highly productive running back creates a ton of added value to his touches thanks to an elite ability to create yards after contact and is capable of hitting home run carries through traffic. Jeanty showcases top-tier vision and contact balance while offering a sufficient skill set on passing downs, making him the perfect piece for this offense. Gentlemen, you saw what I was able to do with Gibbs—let me do the same with Jeanty.”

There was a long pause and all eyes turned towards Ryan Poles who had been fielding absurd trade offers all day. He seemed ready to acquiesce to senior management when Johnson made one more pitch.

“You brought me here for a reason. Give me this running back and you will get to watch highlight after highlight of winning Chicago Bears football for the foreseeable future!”

Poles swallowed hard. He knew they needed change from all the things that hadn’t worked in recent history. He remembered what a difference it made in Detroit when the GM and coach were in lockstep. He cleared his throat and announced for them to call in the pick of Ashton Jeanty.

McCaskey gave Poles a tight lip smile that said: I hope this is the right pick because your job depends on it.

What do you think of the selection of Jeanty? Give the pick a grade in the poll below, and share your expanded thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2025...mock-draft-chicago-bears-select-ashton-jeanty