The splash of free agency is already behind us, and the 2025 NFL Draft is inching ever closer. Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson, and Dennis Allen have put together some serious moves to improve both sides of the trenches, giving the Chicago Bears full flexibility when it comes to who they decide to draft. The trades for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney alone would have made the offensive line vastly improved, but those two trades weren't the only additions to the line. Chicago also added the top center free agent, Drew Dalman. With these three moves, the Bears have retooled their interior line.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears added a 25-year-old pass rusher in Dayo Odeyingbo, who hopefully is about to hit his prime. He already has an 8-sack season under his belt, but the hope is that Dennis Allen can groom him into something even more special. Grady Jarrett was another free-agent addition who quickly signed with Chicago. Like Joe Thuney, Jarrett is a seasoned veteran who has seen success and garners respect from teammates due to his leadership skills. Having two veteran leaders on both sides of the trenches should give the Bears more discipline in 2025.
Now that the big moves of free agency are in the Bears' rearview mirror, it's time to look once again at the 2025 NFL Draft. I decided to do another full, seven-round mock draft. I was very surprised by how the first round turned out. I used the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator, and I didn't take any guys whom I felt shouldn't be available at certain points in the draft (except maybe one). For example, I have a second-round grade on Jake Sawyer, and for some reason, he was available in the fourth round. I was not going to select him at that spot because I didn't think he'd truly be available.
Before we get into who the Chicago Bears select first in this mock draft, a trade offer was on the table. With most of the top names off the board, two big names were sitting there for the taking -- Ashton Jeanty and Tyler Warren. Taking Jeanty at 10 was very enticing, but the offer being thrown out was too good to pass up with how deep this running-back class is.
Chicago Bears | Miami Dolphins Trade
Bears Receive:
1st Round Pick (13)
2nd Round Pick (48)
Dolphins Receive:
1st Round Pick (10)
Adding an additional second-rounder made too much sense here. What was truly shocking was who fell to the Bears at 13.