2025 Senior Bowl prospects who will help Dennis Allen's defense next season

The new-look Chicago Bears' offense is not the only thing that will be explosive. The defense will be led by Dennis Allen, a former head coach with the Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints. While his head coaching tenure was a failure, he is still considered a very good defensive coordinator. He hopes to replicate Steve Spagnuolo's success with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Allen will incorporate a more aggressive defense, which is a welcoming sign for both the players and fans, who got tired of the Tampa-2 scheme run by Matt Eberflus, which was very passive, much like his personality.

The defense will need another edge rusher to help Montez Sweat, whose 2024 season fell off compared to 2023 while he was dealing with an injury. The run defense also fell off badly when Andrew Billings suffered a torn pectoral muscle. Backup Zacch Pickens was inadequate as a replacement, and he might be on this team next season.

Here are defensive players from the 2025 Senior Bowl who can help the Bears in April's NFL Draft.

Defensive End-Mike Green, Marshall

No one had a better Senior Bowl than Mike Green, an edge rusher from Marshall, who led the nation with 17 sacks and was a unanimous first-team All-American. He has dominated his 1-on-1 reps against bigger offensive linemen. The highlight of this year's Senior Bowl has to be when he demolished Oregon left tackle Josh Conerly.

Many scouting reports say Green's explosiveness allows him to attack but also possess great bend to get around and change direction quickly to reach the backfield. He also uses his hands well in getting past protections and fight off blockers. There are still questions about his size(6'3", 251) and if he can still put on weight without losing his effectiveness.

There is no doubt he is a first rounder after his Senior Bowl performance. Is he worth Top 10? That remains to be seen. Allen prefers a bigger defensive end and it would be interesting to see if the Bears pass on Green due to his size or Allen can figure out a way to utilize his skills even if he's undersized.

Defensive Tackle-Darius Alexander, Toledo

Last season, Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell had an excellent Senior Bowl to become a first-round pick of the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Darius Alexander(No. 9 in the photo) had himself an excellent Senior Bowl this week and hopes to follow the same path as his ex-Toledo teammate.

Alexander is a 300-pounder with 34" arms and dominated his 1-on-1s by displaying fluid body control and strong hands. He is a versatile player, who can play both inside and outside and fit in any defensive scheme. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah mentioned Chiefs All-Pro DT Chris Jones as his body type comparison. He is a sixth-year senior, so he's older than most prospects. Therefore, he must be an immediate contributor, not someone who can ride the bench as a rookie.

Defensive End-Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M

Stewart came to Texas A&M as a 5-star recruit out of Miami in 2022. He is the big edge rusher(6'5", 280) that fits what new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen covets. He has impressive speed coming off the edge with the power to overwhelm bigger offensive linemen. He dominated his drills and scrimmage, he did not even play in the actual game knowing he is a Top 20 pick right now. His stock will go higher if he explodes at the NFL Draft Combine.