What I Think of the Chicago Bears Draft Class

Quinn Campbell |

This year's draft is now complete and like always, passionate fans critique their favorite team's general managers and argue on social media over who a team should or should not have picked. Being a Bears fan, every season I see people saying how stupid a pick was and why the "organization is cursed" because we always seen to mess things up. Although it is true that we have been unfortunate in recent years, a lot of this has been due to our lack of coaching and poor play on the field while in the midst of a rebuild. It is true that the Bears have seemed to barely miss out on generational talents in recent draft classes, most notably the mistake of drafting Mitchell Trubisky in 2017 and missing out on Hall of Fame Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

With the selection of Caleb Williams last year, the Bears have now selected three quarterbacks in the last eight years who were supposed to be franchise quarterbacks for the majority of their careers. It was unfortunate that neither Trubisky nor Fields worked out, but I think the organization was a large reason for them struggling during their first few seasons. Trubisky played under two head coaches and three offensive coordinators during his time with the Bears and Fields played for two head coaches and two offensive coordinators. It is very hard for a quarterback to learn a new system, let alone having to do it two or three times during only a couple of years. It is also very hard to predict the success of a quarterback before they come into the NFL. If you asked someone in 2018 if they thought Lamar Jackson would win 2 MVP awards in his career they would have most likely thought you were joking. Similarly, most draft experts had Trubisky ranked higher than Mahomes in 2017 and they had Caleb Williams higher than Jayden Daniels last season, even though Daniels ended up having a way better first year than Williams did.

My point is that it is easy to say a team should have picked a player when looking back a couple of years after the draft. Today, people can't believe how many teams passed up on Lamar Jackson in 2018, but a lot of the same people said he should switch to being a wide receiver if he wanted to be successful in the NFL. It is impossible to do anything but predict the success of a player before the draft and it is not always obvious which players will pan out and which won't.

Let's take a look at the 2025 Bears Draft Class and make PREDICTIONS of how the new players will improve the team for the upcoming season and the future of the organization. At pick 10, there was a lot of debate amongst fans over who we should take, with a lot of people in disagreement over what the primary needs of the team should be. A lot of people wanted to take Ashton Jeanty to give us an immediate boost in our run game, many people wanted an O-lineman to keep adding pieces to protect our franchise quarterback, and some fans expected we were going to take a tight end or pass rusher. I personally didn't think we should have drafted Jeanty so high, due to the uncertainty of running backs in the NFL and how they are often replaced after only a year or two. Also, the Raiders immediately made Jeanty one of the highest paid running backs in the league after taking him in the top 10, which is crazy, given he didn't play in a major conference in college and hasn't touched an NFL field. Yes, I am very aware of the stats he put up and also think he will have a successful career, I just think the risk of taking him so high was too scary, especially because we have more pressing concerns and could get another good running back in the later rounds or free agency.

The Bears ended up drafting Colston Loveland at 10 and it drew mixed emotions from fans. For one, most people expected the Bears to draft Tyler Warren if they were going to take a tight end with their first pick. Most people had Warren rated as the best tight end in the draft and if you look at his college stats, they are extremely impressive. In fact, he had 50 more receptions, 700 more recieving yards, and 3 more touchdown catches than Loveland had. However, I think the main thing people are forgetting to realize is that our new coach, Ben Johnson, is very involved in all aspects of the team and he clearly thinks that Loveland will fit the team's system better than any other tight end. Looking back at Johnson's offenses in Detroit, he loved to utilize a two tight end formation with versatile tight ends who can both block and be playmakers. If Johnson wants Loveland, I am 100% behind it and fully trust his vision for the team. Loveland is a physical presence who was a very good blocker in college and a capable receiver. I think that Loveland had an underwhelming season in terms of receiving stats this year, but that was mainly due to Michigan's run heavy offense, as well as having below average quarterback play.

Chicago Bears 2025 Draft Class, via ChicagoBears.com

In the second round, the Bears got Luther Burden III which I think is one of the best picks in the draft. Burden was favored to be a first round pick due to being one of the best receivers in the draft, but he fell right into the Bears hands after not being selected in the first. His college stats at Missouri were extremely impressive and he has amazing speed. The Bears now have one of the best wide receiver groups in the NFL with Dj Moore, Rome Odunze, and Burden. Burden is also going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder because he fell in the draft and there were four receivers selected ahead of him. In fact, Burden posted a late night workout after he was not selected in the first round, showing that he is motivated to prove the teams that passed on him wrong.

The Bears ended up with three second round picks after trading down with the Bills. The next selection they made was for an O-lineman which has been the biggest need of the team since we saw how terrible it was protecting Caleb Williams. We made some much needed free agent signings to get veteran O-lineman, but the draft was another opportunity to bolster it. We ended up getting Ozzy Trapilo from Boston College who is one of the biggest players in the entire draft because of his 6'8 and 310 pound frame. He looks to be a player who can compete for a starting spot right away, given that he played both tackle and guard in college. He does lack some lateral quickness, but he has massive potential and if the coaches do a good job developing him, he could become a quality offensive line piece for years to come.

With the Bears final pick of the second round, they selected Shemar Turner from Texas A&M. I absolutely love this pick as it addresses a huge need for the Bears, the pass rush. Turner played the whole 2024 college season with a stress fracture in his shin and still put up good numbers. However, it is expected that he would have put up even better numbers had he been fully healthy. This shows how tough Turner is and that is something the Bears definitely need. There have been some concerns with Turner's health and attitude which may have been a reason he slipped in the draft, but hopefully the coaches and veteran players on the team will help him mature and channel his energy onto the field.

With the Bears fourth round pick, they selected Ruben Hyppolite II from Maryland. Hyppolite was not projected to go before the 6th round on most draft boards so it feels like a reach to take him so early. However, general managers know things draft experts don't and maybe they see something like really like, such as his very good speed at the Linebacker position. It helps that the Bears have two very good linebackers in T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, which means that Hyppolite will have a great opportunity to learn from them and develop his game.

In the 5th round, the Bears added some cornerback depth with the selection of Zah Frazier from UTSA. Frazier is a tall and fast corner who had a very impressive college career at UTSA. He has good speed and length that make him an above average corner in terms of physical traits. He should be able to compete for snaps right away and hopefully generate some turnovers and pass breakups this season.

In the 6th round, the Bears got another O-lineman, Luke Newman. Newman played at Michigan State and played almost every position on the line, showing his versatility. He could be used in a lot of different ways on the line and at the very least should add some solid depth which is very important, especially on the offensive line.

With the final pick in the draft, the Bears selected Kyle Monangai from Rutgers. Monangai is a running back who has been very productive in college, averaging 5.2 YPC and 5.0 YPC the last two seasons. Most Bears fans, myself included, wanted to see us draft a running back on day 2 or early on day 3 with this deep of a class, but hopefully Monangai can show some promise and add some much needed competition to the thin running back room in Chicago.