If you focus too much on the Bears' plan for the 2025 NFL Draft, things start to get pretty bleak pretty fast. Ryan Poles spent two years, uh, avoiding winning so that the Bears could properly arrive on the scene after taking Caleb Williams, and they proceeded to ... win five games and still end up with a Top-10 pick. But at least they beat the Packers!
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And maybe Poles realized that it's cool to be fashionably late, which is why the Bears are now obviously going to arrive on the scene one year later than expected. Ben Johnson's in charge(ish) now, which means that things are obviously going to be much, much different. But if ESPN's new mock draft is even remotely close to accurate, credit Johnson for making the smart – albeit kinda boring – decision with his inaugural first round pick in Chicago.
ESPN predicts the Bears have a very boring (and necessary) first round pick
ESPN PICKS: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
"As the Bears work to get the best version of Caleb Williams under new playcaller Ben Johnson, they'll need to invest significantly in the offensive line. Williams took more sacks than any other quarterback in the NFL this past season (68). Banks has very good footwork and balance for a 320-pound player, and I believe his extensive experience (42 starts) will make for a smoother transition to the NFL. He gave up only four pressures on 510 pass-blocking snaps in 2024, one of the lowest pressure percentages allowed by an FBS lineman. A lack of length has some convinced he'd be a better guard than tackle in the NFL, but I see the skill of a starter at left tackle."
I know there was some weird Film Losers vs Normal Losers debating throughout last season as to if the Bears' offensive line was actually all that bad, but I feel like by the end of the year we all harmoniously arrived at the conclusion that, yes, they are in fact bad. Johnson obviously knows the value of a dominant offensive line from his time with the Lions, and by all accounts Banks is a pro-ready lineman. "He may not be strong enough to play pro football" is kind of a terrifying disclaimer for the 10th overall pick in the draft, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. And hopefully we don't ever get there, but, you know, this is the Bears we're talking about.