NCAA Football: Wisconsin at Iowa Nov 2, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs for a 16 yard touchdown as Wisconsin Badgers defensive lineman Curt Neal (92) and linebacker Leon Lowery Jr. (8) attempt to make the tackle during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

5 Prospects the Chicago Bears should target in the second round

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Andy Jachim | Last updated Apr 25, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Chicago Bears front office went out and added a new pass catcher to first-year head coach Ben Johnson’s offense on Thursday night. Colston Loveland from Michigan is the newest Bear and the tight end was the first from his position to be taken in the opening round of the draft. The former Wolverine has already received comparisons to Detroit’s Sam LaPorta after being selected, which bodes well for Bears fans.

The second day of the draft is extremely crucial for Chicago’s front office. For the time being, they hold three picks on day two and two of them are in the second round. There are still a few key positions that need reinforcements, and the general manager Ryan Poles is lucky that quite a few first round talents fell out of the top 32 selections. Chicago could take their two second round choices in a few different directions on both sides of the ball.

Chicago Bears round two target: Kaleb Johnson

Kaleb Johnson has been a favorite of Chicago fans as a potential second round pick to add to the team’s backfield for a while now. He dominated the Big Ten this past season and has spent the past three years as an Iowa Hawkeye. Johnson finished the 2024 campaign with 240 carries for 1,537 yards on the ground to go with his 21 touchdowns.

The Bears were unable to make the moves necessary to trade up on Thursday to acquire Ashton Jeanty, so they will have to result to adding backfield depth in day two. Johnson would pair well with veteran D’Andre Swift, as their different rushing styles would create a fun one-two punch next to Caleb Williams.

Two important traits of Johnson’s game that stand out are his explosiveness once he gets to the second level and his ability to set up crucial blocks. Despite being more of a power back, it’s still good that Johnson can accelerate and kick it into another gear once getting beyond the line of scrimmage. The blocking aspect of his game would fit the Chicago Bears perfectly, as Swift doesn’t bring that to the table consistently.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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