Jokes about the Chicago Bears being annual offseason champions without any real payoff might finally be in the past. The Bears were aggressive yet again last offseason, and their moves turned into the franchise's first playoff victory in over a decade.
Ben Johnson and the team's haul of free agents and trade assets played major roles in the transformation, but the success of the 2025 draft class can't be overlooked.
From top to bottom, the group of rookies in Chicago made a clear impact on the team's success. In a recent article, CBS Sports writer Josh Edwards quantified that impact by ranking the Bears third among all draft classes from last offseason.
Bears' 2025 draft class gets the respect it deserves from CBS Sports
After ranking the Bears' class third in the NFL, Edwards said, "Chicago brought Loveland along slowly but his potential was evident by season's end. It would not be a surprise if Loveland added All-Pro recognition to his mantle at some point in his career. The Bears received viable contributions throughout its draft class. Wide receiver Luther Burden, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and running back Kyle Monangai were all helping keep the NFC contender afloat late in the season."
Colston Loveland is clearly the biggest hit of Chicago's 2025 class. While he wasn't very productive to start his rookie season, he looked like one of the top tight ends in football by the time the playoffs started. He became a focal point of Johnson's offense and should maintain that role for years to come. After Poles received criticism for taking Loveland over Tyler Warren in the first round, this pick couldn't have turned out any better.
But while Edwards only lists the tight end as a hit, the Bears found contributors throughout the 2025 draft. Luther Burden could be on pace to become the team's top receiver in the coming years after finishing the season on a hot streak, and Kyle Monangai showed the rest of the NFL just how ridiculous it was that he fell to the seventh round last year. Ozzy Trapilo even looked like a starting-caliber left tackle before suffering an unfortunate injury late in the season.
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In just two offseasons, Poles has managed to completely rebuild Chicago's offense. He hit on multiple draft picks, putting together a young core that he can now use to build a roster worthy of Super Bowl contention.