The prevailing takeaway from the Chicago Bears' 2025 NFL Draft was that Ben Johnson's vision is now the priority at Halas Hall.
With their first three selections in the draft, the Bears took offensive players. In highlighting Johnson's importance moving forward, it should be no surprise that the Bears took tight end Colston Loveland with their first-round selection. Loveland, despite some having him graded behind Penn State's Tyler Warren, has drawn comparisons to Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions.
Johnson's arrival, and the Bears' consequent offseason strategy, seems to have placed the organization in the direction they've been seeking for much of the past decade. The NFL is taking notice.
One NFL executive had this to say to Mike Sando of The Athletic (Subscription Required) about the Bears' draft.
“I like what they have done, and I’ve been skeptical of the Bears in the past,” the executive told Sando. “The tight end is a really good player. The sleeper in the bunch is that Trapilo kid in the second round. Eventually, I think he will be their right tackle.
“I have to hand it to (GM Ryan) Poles. They have upgraded in a lot of ways this offseason.”
The Bears have won the offseason once again
The Bears are no strangers to drawing offseason praise. After all, this is a Bears' team that has been praised in each of the past three seasons, and the result has been a losing season on the field in each. Given the nature of the NFC North, there is no guarantee that the Bears will have a winning season in 2025. While that may be viewed as a disappointment, that doesn't mean that the Bears won't take a step forward closer to relevancy.
Now, to the Bears' credit, there has been a noticeable shift in their strategy. There has been an emphasis on improving the offensive and defensive lines this offseason that wasn't there in previous offseasons. That could be the reason why executive across the NFL are taking notice. The Bears seem to be finally focused on putting the infrastructure of success in place.