The Chicago Bears have been one of the most intriguing and active teams in the 2025 offseason so far, starting with the hiring of Ben Johnson as their new head coach. Johnson was hired this offseason after the Bears made the first in-season head coach firing in the long history of the franchise.
Not long after Johnson's arrival, the Bears got to work upgrading the trenches on both sides of the ball. They swung a couple of trades for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney before signing center Drew Dalman in NFL Free Agency. On the defensive side of the ball, they brought in longtime Falcons stud defensive tackle Grady Jarrett as well as former Colts second-round pick Dayo Odeyingbo.
Now that they've upgraded in the trenches, what are they going to do next? Well, Ben Johnson might not be the general manager, but you can bet his stamp is going to be all over this first draft class he has with the team.
Back in 2023, the Detroit Lions (Johnson's former club) made one of the most shocking selections of the first round when they used the 12th overall pick on former Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs. The Lions were absolutely scolded for making that pick but in reality, they made one of the best selections of the entire draft when they brought in Gibbs for their offense.
He's been nothing short of a star.
Johnson might be poised to make another shocking selection at the same position -- this time for a division rival -- in 2025.
Bears could be team to watch for shockingly early TreVeyon Henderson selection
There are few prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft you would deem to be true "blue chip" kinds of guys. This is not a top-heavy draft in terms of its overall talent, so a handful of really good players are bound to stand out. The obvious standout player in this class at running back is Ashton Jeanty, the consensus RB1 in the class. He's going to likely be off the board by the time the Bears are on the clock at #10 overall.
In that case, many folks have speculated that the Bears could be in line to take North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton. It makes sense, because a lot of people think Hampton is the RB2 of this class. But not everyone thinks that.
It only takes one team, as they say, to have a guy high enough on their board to make a shocking selection in the draft. TreVeyon Henderson is generally considered a 1st-2nd-round prospect, but if he's projected in the 1st round, it's often somewhere in the 20s.
Not the top 10.
Henderson has the traits to be Johnson's next version of Jahmyr Gibbs, and while it may seem laughable to take him at 10 overall, the same would have been said of the Lions taking Jahmyr Gibbs at 12 overall back in 2023.
Henderson had 666 touches at Ohio State and just one fumble. He's explosive and dynamic in space. He pass protects likes a seasoned veteran. There's virtually nothing he doesn't do well at the position, which we know is critical to the success of Johnson's offense overall.
Don't be shocked if the Bears make a pick like this in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is just two weeks away.