With the 2025 NFL Draft coming up in Green Bay, the Bears have been the subject of multiple rumors regarding who they could take in the draft. Gabe, Anthony, and Hayden have spent some time on who they believe the Bears could take, but it’s too unpredictable now. Here’s what we believe could work for Chicago:
Pick 10
Hayden: Ashton Jeanty and Will Campbell are the main options here, but I don’t see a world in which either of them are available by the time the Bears pick. That being said, I see them moving back in a trade with Indy, sending the 10th pick and a lower pick for the 14th pick and either the 45th pick or 80th. With the move down, there’s one guy on my list that I would love to see as a Bear. He’s a bulldog on the field and hails from the land of the Bulldogs, edge rusher Mykel Williams. With Adeyengbo and Sweat already doing the heavy lifting, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Bears brought in another guy who’s willing to get dirty. Williams would provide exactly that for the Bears, and more. I would get excited to see him at Soldier Field this season.
Gabe: Coming off a season where the franchise’s future was sacked 68 times, it seemed as though Ryan Poles has to take an offensive lineman. Bears fans were treated to some Poles Magic in early March that gave Caleb Williams and company two Pro Bowl guards in Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and he signed center Drew Dalman to a three-year deal. In less than 48 hours, Poles completely revitalized the Bears’ O-line, and suddenly their 10th pick became much more interesting. Call it wishful thinking, but I believe the Bears will take Ashton Jeanty. While it’d be a shock if Jeanty falls past the Raiders at 6, there’s a real chance Poles trades up past the Raiders if it means he can secure Jeanty. According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, the Bears “love” the Boise State running back, and Ben Johnson’s offense has thrived in two-back systems. As the Lions OC, his two-pronged attack of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery led the league in rushing yards per game as a duo, and a Jeanty-Swift tandem might be even scarier.
Anthony: The Bears have addressed a few of their needs, including a few offensive lineman, an edge rusher, a running back, and a defensive back. Since the Bears are sitting at the 10th pick, they should look for their biggest need out of those four options, which is a running back. There are a lot of potential options for the Bears in the early part of the draft, and I think they should trade back to the 14th pick and draft Omarion Hampton. He’s the second-best running back in the draft behind Ashton Jeanty and would work well with Ben Johnson’s offensive scheme.
Pick 39
Hayden: If the Bears don’t take an offensive tackle in the first round, this is where it’ll come. Josh Conerly Jr. from Oregon has traditionally played as a left tackle and has been the protector of current Broncos QB Bo Nix and fellow draft prospect QB Dillon Gabriel. Conerly Jr. is listed as one of the top-10 tackles in this draft and focuses the majority of his play as a pass protector, something that would be vital for Caleb Williams’ development. Conerly Jr. would likely be behind Braxton Jones, but having a guy who’s faced some top collegiate competition would be helpful for the locker room.
Gabe: Even after the moves Ryan Poles made in March to bolster the o-line, left tackle Braxton Jones remains a bit of a question mark. His player grade in year two hovered around the 20th-best tackle in the league, but a broken ankle in December means he’ll be out for the beginning of training camp. While the Bears front office has been quiet about tackles, they’re high on in comparisons to other positions, and I agree with Hayden that Josh Conerly Jr. would likely be the best option still available at tackle. He was a first-team All-American last year and only allowed nine pressures throughout the season. Scouts believe he can be ready to contribute as a rookie, and as Hayden said, it’ll be nice to have some healthy competition on the offensive line, rather than the complete decimation that Bears fans (and Caleb Williams) had to deal with last year.
Anthony: Since they have picks 39 and 41 in the draft the Bears can have a lot of flexibility in the second round. Since the Bears still need either an offensive tackle or edge in this year’s draft, they should go for the best available guy at either of these positions. In this case, it would be Arkansas edge rusher Landon Jackson, who would provide the Bears with another pass rusher with Montez Sweat to get to the QB.
Pick 41
Hayden: It’s no secret that running back has to be a position the Bears target in the draft. Omarion Hampton has flown up draft boards, eliminating him from this conversation. I would like to see one of the two Ohio State backs in Chicago, it’s just a matter of preference. In this case, I would prefer TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson was torching offenses last season, rushing over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. He would be a good compliment D’Andre Swift in Ben Johnson’s offensive scheme similar to what we saw with Gibbs and Montgomery in Detroit.
Gabe: If the Bears front office can find a way to snag Jeanty, it’ll probably mean they traded at least one of their two second-round picks, but it’ll also mean they have one of the most explosive offenses in the league and can address defensive needs.
On April 1st, Ryan Poles gave some of his insight on this year’s talent pool: “It’s condensed pretty small in (round) 1. And then there’s a wide range of really good starting level players that are going to range from probably single digits all the way to 50, 60, 70.” This means Poles likely won’t be too concerned with trading up any spots after the first round, which makes Landon Jackson a good fit. An edge rusher out of Arkansas, Jackson has length and speed off the edge and would play alongside Montez Sweat, a guy who makes his fellow linemen look better.
Anthony: At this pick, the Bears should go for an offensive lineman since the class is deep this year. With this pick, they should go for Aireontae Ersery from Minnesota, who isn’t the best of the best at his position but will get the job done when he gets the opportunity to do so.
Pick 72
Hayden: Just take the best available linebacker here. At this point in the draft, it becomes uncertain where you’ll see guys climb or fall. I’ve run a few mock drafts on various sites and there’s one guy who seems to fall into my arms around this spot: Ole Miss’ Chris Paul Jr. The junior linebacker has had his NFL comparison to Nick Bolton of the Kansas City Chiefs. With 3.5 sacks with 86 total tackles (48 solo) last season, he’s a tough linebacker who worked with a team filled with talent that we see in this draft. Paul Jr. would be a possible replacement for Jack Sanborn in the new-look Bears defense, built by Dennis Allen.
Gabe: I think Poles closes out the first three rounds with a linebacker, Demetrius Knight out of South Carolina, who could still be available at 72. He shot up draft boards in January to an average rank of 70, but Pro Football Focus ranks him at 52nd and the 3rd best linebacker in the 2025 class. Knight is one of the oldest players in the draft, and it’s this maturity and tackling ability that made him a standout as a Gamecock. PFF also cites his ability to move in coverage as another solid upside to his game.
Anthony: At this point, we don’t know what to expect due to guys falling and climbing through the draft. The Bears defense is pretty solid, but some guys are getting up there in age. Kevin Byard lll is 31 and his time as a Bear might be coming to end soon. This is why the Bears should take the best available safety at this point in the draft, which could be Kevin Winston Jr out of Penn State.
Picking players from the draft to fit the team is always one of the toughest things to do. We feel like our picks will do the team justice, but ultimately, it will be up to Ryan Poles, Ian Cunningham, and Ben Johnson to make these decisions come to life. We can’t wait to see what happens on April 24-26!
