It is hard to believe the NFL Draft is less than a month away. Many teams are now traveling to attend college Pro Days at various campuses nationwide.
The Bears' head coach, Ben Johnson, was seen at the University of Michigan Pro Day on March 21. General manager Ryan Poles and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy were seen at the University of Texas Pro Day on 3/25. With different Pro Days held nationwide each day, they must make the most of each visit since they cannot all be in one place.
That all changed on March 26 when pretty much every important member of the Bears organization all converged in Columbus to attend the Ohio State Pro Day.
Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen spent the day at Ohio State and were not in attendance for Ashton Jeanty’s Pro Day pic.twitter.com/Ku9TdC2pK8
— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) March 27, 2025
Ohio State Pro Day featured plenty of star power
There is a reason why the Bears were out in full force. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the national title this past season, and as many as 15 players are expected to be drafted next month, tying Georgia for the most players selected in the 2022 draft. There is a good chance that at least one of them, maybe two, could end up drafted by the Bears. Here is the list of players the Bears' brass are probably paying attention to.
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Josh Simmons | Offensive Tackle |
Donovan Jackson | Offensive Guard/Tackle |
Jack Sawyer | Defensive End |
JT Tuimoloau | Defensive End |
Tyleik Williams | Defensive Tackle |
TreVeyon Henderson | Running Back |
Quinshon Judkins | Running Back |
Lathan Ransom | Safety |
Josh Simmons is a legitimate left tackle prospect who could replace Braxton Jones. Simmons is recovering from a torn patellar tendon that cut his season short, and worked out in front of a slew of coaches and general managers, which is a good sign of his recovery.
Donovan Jackson replaced Simmons following his injury, and stepped up his play. His versatility would be a huge asset for the Bears as he could play both guard and left tackle. He could backup both positions as a rookie and take over either guard or left tackle in 2026.
Both running back and defensive end are positions the Bears could use to add more talent, and they feature two talented players for each position. TreVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins could be drafted with one of their second-round picks that could fit Ben Johnson's offense if Ahston Jeanty and Omarion Hampton are both gone. Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau were very productive edge rushers, and it will be interesting to see which player defensive coordinator Dennis Allen prefers.
Defensive Tackle Tyleik Williams is a massive player(6'3", 326), who could be drafted to back up Andrew Billings after his injury caused a huge problem in the Bears' run defense. Meanwhile, Lathan Ransom could be drafted to add depth to the safety position, which has become a concern after Jaquan Brisker's multiple concussions and Kevin Byard's advanced age.
The significance of Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles attending the Ohio State Pro Day together cannot be ignored
Having so much talent on one campus certainly helps, as plenty of quality players from Ohio State could help the Bears in 2025. What is interesting is that Ashton Jeanty was having his workout on the same day at the Boise State campus. Neither Poles nor Johnson was there.
This Pro Day visit feels like a final vetting process toward drafting a running back. Jeanty's name has been linked to many mock drafts for a while. Although names like Will Campbell and Armand Membou remain popular candidates, Tyler Warren is starting to appear in some recent mock drafts too.
Perhaps they wanted to see both Henderson and Judkins up close, and who would fit Johnson's new offense other than Jeanty. If they like what they saw, the Bears might not feel the need to draft Jeanty with the 10th overall pick.