The Chicago Bears' rookies have made some waves in training camp with their performances.
Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III have attracted the most attention as the top two picks in the draft in important roles on offense. Loveland and Burden have already shown that they have a real shot at becoming franchise cornerstones.
Of the eight draft picks from the Bears' 2025 class, which ones have had the best preseasons in Chicago? ESPN Bears reporter Courtney Cronin joined the other beat reporters to report on each rookie and their performance.
What did Cronin say about each Bears rookie?
Cronin started with Loveland and praised his ability to block and catch within the offense, as he appeared to be a perfect fit for Bears head coach Ben Johnson's system.
"The Bears are asking Loveland to block defensive ends like a tackle and run routes like a wide receiver. So far, he has demonstrated he can do both. Loveland has a prime opportunity to make hay in the underneath game and has consistently been open in team drills, whether he's lined up out wide, in the slot or in line. Bears coach Ben Johnson said he isn't sure how he'll divvy up workloads between Loveland and fellow tight end Cole Kmet, but it's safe to say the rookie will be a big part of the Bears' offense."
Loveland has caught three passes for 34 yards on four targets through two games. A small sample size, but the potential is there for him to succeed.
Nest up was Burden as Cronin mentions is there is still a transition period for Burden to work through.
"After being sidelined for two months with a hamstring injury, Burden wasted no time showing off his playmaking skills. His explosive after-the-catch ability translates well to this offense, but the complexity of the Bears' scheme is something Burden is still trying to master."
Burden leads the team in receiving yards with 78 on five receptions. He has been praised for not only the work he's doing in the passing game, but getting his hands dirty with some great blocks against the Bills. That's the type of actions that will get him more playing time.
Another rookie with a long assessment from Cronin was Ozzy Trapilo who has gone through the ups and downs of playing left and right tackle in camp.
"Trapilo earned first-team reps at left tackle in the spring and was firmly in the mix to protect Caleb Williams' blind side in the first three weeks of training camp. The Bears then moved him back to right tackle (where he started 24 games at Boston College) with the second-team offense to cross-train him at both positions. Trapilo could begin his career as the team's swing tackle as the Bears search for clarity at left tackle."
Braxton Jones appears to be in the lead to start at left tackle for at least the 2025 season. Trapilo still could be in the running to start this year, but most likely could develop into the future starter at left tackle.
Cronin would go on to write up quick assessments on the other rookies, as most have not had the kind of impact the others have. She did mention Ruben Hyppolite II is in the running to start at linebacker as he competes with Noah Sewel,l and running back Kyle Monangai could be the backup or third string for D'Andre Swift and be more of the power back.
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Overall, it's been a solid showing from the rookies as all eight selected have strong chances of making the final 53-man roster. How much will they do in the regular season will be the biggest question from this class.