With the 2025 NFL Draft one month away, now is the time to lend slightly more credence to the mock drafts making the rounds.
After the NFL Scouting Combine and the initial waves of free agency, now is the time for teams to begin to have a sense of what position groups they will be targeting in the draft.
For the Bears, the floor is open after a free-agency period that saw the team add three new starters to its offensive line and address the defensive line with the signings of Grady Jarrett and Odeyingbo.
There are multiple directions the Bears could go in when they are not on the clock with the No. 10 overall selection. Taking a running back is something that has been bandied about given the emphasis that Ben Johnson has on the running game, or the Bears could finalize their offensive line overhaul by taking a long-term answer at the left tackle position.
Even furthering the improvement of the defensive line can't be ruled out for the Bears. In fact, that is exactly what Ben Standig has the Bears doing in his latest mock draft for The Athletic. Standig has the Bears taking Georgia's edge rusher Mykel Williams with the No. 10 pick. Williams has the profile of someone who could be a boom pick in the first round, but it's also a pick based more on projection than potential. Especially with recent talk that Williams may fall toward the bottom of the first round.
It's worth noting that Standig had LSU's Will Campbell go one pick after the Bears to the San Francisco 49ers. Both Ashton Jeanty and Tyler Warren were taken ahead of the Bears' selection. If that is the process that plays out for the draft and the Bears don't have an interest in Campbell, it would seem more likely that the Bears trade back instead of selecting Williams at No. 10.
With Odeyingbo being someone the Bears added and paid handsomely because of his projection, it would be misguided to take a similar risk with the No. 10 overall selection. The Bears should be looking for someone who can provide impact immediately and Williams may not check that box.