I want to bring something to the Chicago Bears draft fan base that hasn't been seen yet. We can only assume what the Chicago Bears will do in the NFL draft. When it comes to draft prospects, I am not as big of a fan as most are when it comes to Will Cambell. I do love Kelvin Banks Jr. Before putting this mock draft together, I drafted Banks Jr. at number ten overall. However, I thought I would do something a bit different in this mock draft.
I promise you that this mock draft will be very different from any that you have encountered. I'll start by bragging a bit about my calls for Brian Thomas Jr. and Brock Bowers being the weapons that Ryan Poles should have looked at for the ninth overall selection last year. But I don't blame him for drafting Rome Odunze. He shouldn't have been available. In this exercise, Will Cambell won't be available.
The 2025 draft class is deep at running back, tight end, interior offensive line, and edge rusher. So, with the first two draft picks, I have Ryan Poles giving both his coordinators a treat they would love to have. Then, I will take advantage of the depth of the draft. Let's get into it, shall we?
The 13th overall pick
The Chicago Bears have the 10th overall pick, and I planned to stay put and draft this player, but the trade offer was too good to pass up. Was Ashton Jeanty available? You bet your bottom dollar he was. Malaki Starks and Kelvin Banks Jr. were there, and Mike Green was there. I am a big fan of him, but the board looked too good, and the Bears let it leak that they were taking a running back (I doubt that was a real leak). So, I am hoping that was intentional in getting people off early.
- Bears send R1:10
-Dolphins send R1:13, R3:98, R7:226
These next two special coordinator draft picks will be the only ones the Bears don't double down on in this mock draft. The Bears will fix a lot of holes in free agency, but we will supplement with the draft. With that said, the first pick after the trade down is Tyler Warren, the tight end for Penn State. Why draft a tight end this early with this class? Warren is the only tight end who can block, run, pass, and run routes. In this draft class, you are either getting a blocker or a pass catcher.
The 39th overall pick
The Carolina Panthers will now have given the Chicago Bears Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Tyrique Stevenson, and now Xavier Watts. Why would the Chicago Bears draft Watts? One reason is that he is available. I doubt he will be available this late in the regular draft, but if he is, Poles needs to sprint to the table and figure out the rest later. When Kyler Gordan was still on the board with the 39th overall pick in 2022, Poles didn't hesitate.
I desperately wanted to trade down with the 41st overall draft selection. I promise you that I tried multiple times, but the Bears would fall too far to get some of these key players at the top of the second round. I do have a favorite position and two players that I have had my eyes on with the 41st overall selection. One of them is Landon Jackson. That guy is just a beast, but who would I be if I put out a mock without someone from my favorite college?
The 41st overall pick
In this Chicago Bears mock draft, the Bears select JT Tuimoloau, Edge, The Ohio State University. If you know about Dennis Allen, you will know that he believes in college production over anything else. That is my kind of guy. Allen also likes size. He believes that his defensive line should play with power. Finesse isn't something that he believes is the best trait. That doesn't mean that he wouldn't draft such a player. After all, he isn't the head coach anymore, and Poles is still the GM of the Chicago Bears.
Why haven't I touched the offensive line? (free agency) Calm down; it's coming. The Bears don't have to hyperfocus on all of the offensive line positions, but they do need to give Ben Johnson something he wants. Ryan Poles has to focus on adding girth, people-movers, and size. The Detriot Lions have Penei Sewell, who is 6'5 "and 335 pounds; Kevin Zeitler is 6'4" and 332 pounds; Taylor Decker is 6'7" and 318 pounds; and the center, Frank Ragnow, is 6'5" and 310 pounds.
Ryan Poles is obsessed with agility and zone running. Ben Johnson's offense used a combination of zone and gap-running schemes. There is a reason Teven Jenkins is still the best blocker on the Bears. He has size and girth. Braxton Jones is sound, but he is the same size as the Lions center. That isn't very comfortable to think about. Here come your blockers.
The 72nd and 98th overall picks
In round three, with the 72nd overall selection, the Chicago Bears select offensive tackle/guard Anthony Belton from North Carolina State. The idea would be for the Bears to sign Trey Smith to a long-term deal at right guard. Belton would hold down the left guard position. Belton is 6'6 and 336 pounds. Should Belton move to guard? For year one, yes. The newly acquired third-round pick from Miami Dolphins first-round trade down is the 98th overall pick.
Going back to the trenches on defense, the Chicago Bears select Aston Gillotte from Louisville. Gillotte regressed in sack production from 2023, but he had back-to-back 40+ pressure seasons. Not only is Gillotte a solid rotation pass rusher, but he can also work inside and outside of the tackle. He is also a very good run defender. Gillotte is almost the anti-Austin Booker.
-Bears send R5:148 and R6:197 (pretend an additional future round six)
-Cowboys send R5:150 and R5:175
The Dallas Cowboys wanted to move up two spots in the fourth round, so we did a pick swap late and moved down two spots in the fourth. This trade might be a bit off value-wise, but it's a mock draft. Now that we doubled down at edge rusher, it is time to double down at guard. Why? Why not. There were some running backs I was keeping an eye on. The goal at running back is to find fast and big. See the theme? Unfortunately, there are two I want in this range. One was too soon to draft, and the other one was gone. Man, I wish Damien Martinez was still there. But that's the NFL draft for ya.
The 150th and 175th overall picks
The Chicago Bears' draft should start to even out at this point. The 2025 NFL draft prospects are rich in defensive talent early. I would expect the Bears to take advantage, much like I did with Watts, Tuimoloau, and Gillotte. Now, with the 150th overall selection, I have the Bears doubling down at guard and selecting John Williams, offensive tackle, Cincinnati. The mock draft simulator didn't like this pick, but oh well. I like this player. Truthfully, Williams can hold his own at tackle and has long arms.
I was once told that scouts should focus more on college tackles for every offensive line position. And truthfully, that person was right (dang you Carl). The tackle position is the hardest on the line to play. Master it in college, and then move on to what suits you in the NFL. There is another draft selection for the Bears in this mock draft. The Bears do need running backs. Granted, if they had Tyler Warren, they could hand him the ball off as well. Swift's role is fine; it is the bruiser that needs to be fixed.
I liked Roschon Johnson as much as everybody else did when he came out. But maybe he is a third-string back. Only time will tell. With the 175th overall selection, the Chicago Bears select Tahj Brooks, running back at Texas Tech. Brooks has a lot of miles on him, but his role would be secondary back, short yards, and pass block. Brooks is very explosive and has the girth that we are focused on in this mock draft. He lists at 5'9, 229 pounds. Do you want a scouting report? Google Doug Martin.
The seventh-round fliers
I ran out of sixth-round draft picks for the Bears, but these two last draft picks could still make an NFL 53-man roster. They are repeats of the last two draft picks. So, with the 226th and the 235th overall selection, the Chicago Bears select Hollin Pierce, the offensive tackle from Rutgers, and Raheim Sanders, a running back from South Carolina. Pierce has the size and length to play tackle. His footspeed isn't as good as John Williams, but Pierce is 6'8 340 pounds. Nobody is moving him easily.
Sanders from South Carolina could be drafted well before this point. I think he will, but if he is still available, as this mock draft suggests, the Bears need to fill up the running back room with young talent over those crusty veterans who bounce from team to team. Sanders could be another Roschon Johnson, but they don't call Sanders "Rocket" for no reason. Sanders and Brooks shouldn't be as fast as they are with all that extra weight, but they are. They are speeding freight trains coming downhill in a hurry.
Do I believe this is the way the Chicago Bears will go? No, but it is an idea to keep in mind well before free agency takes off. It will be another month before we have an idea of what the Chicago Bears will do in the 2025 NFL draft. Ryan Pace's best drafts came in year four and year six. If Poles is going to become a guy to stay, this draft must hit. I believe he has the ability to change the direction of his talent evaluations.