The Bears 2025 Draft Thread

[Jiddy]

I'm assuming you're talking about Will Campbell. He ran a 4.98. Believe it or not there were four others who ran an even faster time, with Georgia's Jared Wilson leading them all by clocking in at an insane 4.84. Wilson also tied for second in the 10 yard split with a 1.72 time. Most coaching staffs tend to lean a bit more on the splits mainly because how many times does an offensive lineman need to run 40 yards during a game.

Wilson is a center. I think I'd prefer they just go sign this Dalman guy.

One because experience is nice at the center position. (Yes, Coleman Shelton was out-talented and it showed a lot last season, but at least he had some intangibles that carried him to perform respectably at times. Just apply those intangibles to an actually talented player and Voila.)

And two because we don't know if we'll necessarily be able to draft Wilson, so just take the bird in the hand and pay the proven FA that is available. Also Dalman is still a good age at 26 to sign longer-term.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Not sure if anyone else caught the combines the past 4 days and in particular yesterday's segment devoted strictly to the OL. I have to say for the most part I was super impressed with the athleticism of these big lunkers. Five of them ran a sub-5 40 and 18 of them ran the 10 yard splits in under 1.8 seconds. Most of them performed quite well in the various footwork drills. Some definitely improved their draft status. Not sure anyone did more to solidify his profile than Oregon's Josh Connerly. He probably had the best all around performance for the day. Others that improved their profiles:

Mizzou's Armand Membou
Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery
NDSU's Grey Zabel
Arizona's Jonah Savaiinaea
Ohio State's Donovan Jackson

The big names did nothing to hurt their stock. Will Campbell will probably remain the top OL pick in the draft. Kelvin Banks, Jr will also be either the 1st or 2nd taken off the board. Tyler Booker showed why he's the top pure guard of the bunch. The only key name who remains somewhat a mystery is Josh Simmons. And that's only because he was still unable to test, and he may not be able to perform the full gamut even by his pro day, at least that's what they reported during the broadcast. But it was also reported that Simmons believes he'll be 100% ready to go by the time summer camps begin.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Wilson is a center. I think I'd prefer they just go sign this Dalman guy.

Same here. I only mentioned him due to his run times. There's no center in the draft who's worth an early round pick. A few like Wilson may have improved their ranking a bit, but I don't see a pure center being drafted in the first 3 rounds. I continue to root for us signing Dalman, he's been on the top of my wish list for some time now. If he sticks with the Falcons or signs with some other team, then Josh Myers would make for a nice alternate.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

As was often discussed prior to last year's offense-heavy draft, this year's would be more weighted toward the defense, specifically the DL. And sho nuff it is. The article in USA Today points out the number of top talents in this draft's DL:

The strength of the 2025 NFL draft? The defensive linemen. How many will go in Round 1?

Abdul Carter could be the first pick of the 2025 NFL draft, and he leads a long list of defensive linemen that make the group this class' strength.

www.usatoday.com

I thought this was worth bringing up because if Poles end up inking a center (Dalman?) this coming week, our OL will pretty much be set. This in turn would find the DL in much more of the spotlight. One key exception to that is Ashton Jeanty, often mentioned as a possible Bears pick. But his availability at 10 is a bit more in question now. Many analysts are saying that after the Raiders signed Geno Smith, their focus will turn to RB, which of course means Jeanty.

Interestingly enough from the Bears perspective, of all the players mentioned in the article, is there anyone aside from Abdul Carter and Mason Graham, both of whom might actually go in the top 5, who screams top 10 pick? Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps a couple more could go in the top 10. IF the Bears sign a center this week and IF Jeanty is gone before the Bears are on the clock, to me there would only be two options: take the best DL still there at 10 or assuming they find a taker, trade the pick back. I like IF#2 because there'd be plenty of talent still on the board, and chances are we'd net an additional 2nd or 3rd round pick in the process.

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

As was often discussed prior to last year's offense-heavy draft, this year's would be more weighted toward the defense, specifically the DL. And sho nuff it is. The article in USA Today points out the number of top talents in this draft's DL:

The strength of the 2025 NFL draft? The defensive linemen. How many will go in Round 1?

Abdul Carter could be the first pick of the 2025 NFL draft, and he leads a long list of defensive linemen that make the group this class' strength.

www.usatoday.com

I thought this was worth bringing up because if Poles end up inking a center (Dalman?) this coming week, our OL will pretty much be set. This in turn would find the DL in much more of the spotlight. One key exception to that is Ashton Jeanty, often mentioned as a possible Bears pick. But his availability at 10 is a bit more in question now. Many analysts are saying that after the Raiders signed Geno Smith, their focus will turn to RB, which of course means Jeanty.

Interestingly enough from the Bears perspective, of all the players mentioned in the article, is there anyone aside from Abdul Carter and Mason Graham, both of whom might actually go in the top 5, who screams top 10 pick? Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps a couple more could go in the top 10. IF the Bears sign a center this week and IF Jeanty is gone before the Bears are on the clock, to me there would only be two options: take the best DL still there at 10 or assuming they find a taker, trade the pick back. I like IF#2 because there'd be plenty of talent still on the board, and chances are we'd net an additional 2nd or 3rd round pick in the process.

I think they should take the best of the trench positions at 10. I doubt anyone is willing to trade up in this draft. I hope we get a guy like Campbell, Membou, Banks, Graham, or Walker. I’ll end up cheering for whoever they take, but the best available out of those names is who I would take.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I think they should take the best of the trench positions at 10. I doubt anyone is willing to trade up in this draft. I hope we get a guy like Campbell, Membou, Banks, Graham, or Walker. I’ll end up cheering for whoever they take, but the best available out of those names is who I would take.

Make no mistake about it, I'm not the least bit counting on any team trading up to take the Bears spot at 10, and have said as much in a number of other posts. But still I never rule anything out and again if there's no for-sure, must-take player when we're on the clock, then I'd hope for that slim chance some team does offer us a trade back. And if not then yeah, let's grab the best player remaining. We already know Poles is a strict BPA drafter, so whoever he has tops on his list and is available, that's who he's taking.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

So with the activity from the past few days, including today's FA signings and all involving the trenches, where do we stand relative to the draft? What's our biggest need at this point? We currently have a total of 7 picks, with the first 4 picks, the 10th, the 39th, the 41st, and the 72nd being the key. I'm breaking it down by unit to gauge what could matter the most when we're on the clock. So here goes:

QB - No need. If anything, Poles might pick up a vet or post draft UFDA.
RB - Big need. The Swift/Johnson tandem isn't exactly cutting it. Jeanty most likely will be gone, but there's some solid talent that will be available in the following 3 rounds.
WR - Need. We're set with our top two, but that 3rd WR spot remains a question mark at this point. However, the FA period is still young, so maybe Poles will still land a vet.
TE - Need. Cole Kmet is more than serviceable and I think he'll be much better utilized under the Johnson offense. But after him, Durham Smythe? As ol' Joe would say, C'mon man!!
OT - Need. Not necessarily a 1st rounder, but OT should be in play for one of those 4 picks.
G - Slight need. Poles did a good job at filling these two spots. We could always use some depth tho.
C - Slight need. Dalman was a very important get. And if we re-sign Shelton, our center needs will be minimal at best.
DT - Need. Poles did fine in landing the veteran Grady Jarrett, he'll make for a nice rotation with Billings and Dexter Sr, but more depth is needed, as this could be Billings last season.
DE - Big Need. I'm glad we got Dayo, but at this point he seems to be just a younger version of the departed Demarcus Walker. We could still use a bonified QB sacker opposite Sweat.
LB - Need. I would have said little to no need had we renewed Sanborn. Granted, the SAM linebacker might be the least important spot on the D, but still....
CB - Slight need. At this point that is. Not sure what's the sitch with Tyrique Stevenson. If he's still slated to be a starter, then the need is slight.
S - Slight need. At this point that is. See CB. The same with Jaquan Brisker, altho for a different reason, which is a history of concussions. If he's cleared to go, then yes the same as CB.
ST - No need. Even if Santos is a candidate for possible replacement, of which I'm skeptical he is, we're not gonna use any of our higher picks.

 

[beardown07]

So with the activity from the past few days, including today's FA signings and all involving the trenches, where do we stand relative to the draft? What's our biggest need at this point? We currently have a total of 7 picks, with the first 4 picks, the 10th, the 39th, the 41st, and the 72nd being the key. I'm breaking it down by unit to gauge what could matter the most when we're on the clock. So here goes:

QB - No need. If anything, Poles might pick up a vet or post draft UFDA.
RB - Big need. The Swift/Johnson tandem isn't exactly cutting it. Jeanty most likely will be gone, but there's some solid talent that will be available in the following 3 rounds.
WR - Need. We're set with our top two, but that 3rd WR spot remains a question mark at this point. However, the FA period is still young, so maybe Poles will still land a vet.
TE - Need. Cole Kmet is more than serviceable and I think he'll be much better utilized under the Johnson offense. But after him, Durham Smythe? As ol' Joe would say, C'mon man!!
OT - Need. Not necessarily a 1st rounder, but OT should be in play for one of those 4 picks.
G - Slight need. Poles did a good job at filling these two spots. We could always use some depth tho.
C - Slight need. Dalman was a very important get. And if we re-sign Shelton, our center needs will be minimal at best.
DT - Need. Poles did fine in landing the veteran Grady Jarrett, he'll make for a nice rotation with Billings and Dexter Sr, but more depth is needed, as this could be Billings last season.
DE - Big Need. I'm glad we got Dayo, but at this point he seems to be just a younger version of the departed Demarcus Walker. We could still use a bonified QB sacker opposite Sweat.
LB - Need. I would have said little to no need had we renewed Sanborn. Granted, the SAM linebacker might be the least important spot on the D, but still....
CB - Slight need. At this point that is. Not sure what's the sitch with Tyrique Stevenson. If he's still slated to be a starter, then the need is slight.
S - Slight need. At this point that is. See CB. The same with Jaquan Brisker, altho for a different reason, which is a history of concussions. If he's cleared to go, then yes the same as CB.
ST - No need. Even if Santos is a candidate for possible replacement, of which I'm skeptical he is, we're not gonna use any of our higher picks.

RB room should look much better with the upgrades on the line. I expect more carries for Johnson.

Odunze will be just fine at 2 or 3

Center is done dude.

I think Stevenson will be fine. A lot of bluster that nobody would have even heard if not for the Washington game. He bounced back at the end of the season.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

RB room should look much better with the upgrades on the line. I expect more carries for Johnson.

Odunze will be just fine at 2 or 3

Center is done dude.

I think Stevenson will be fine. A lot of bluster that nobody would have even heard if not for the Washington game. He bounced back at the end of the season.

Good point about our RBs looking better now that we have a solid OL. But I still think an upgrade is needed and this is the draft to get it done. It's deep with quality runners.

I already have Odunze as our #2 and it wouldn't surprise me if he battles DJ for the top spot. But we're still super thin after that.

I'm fine with the Center position being a non issue.

I hope you're right about Stevenson. I'd rather concentrate on other positions.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

So based on my rundown of the roster needs by unit, my early 4 pick projection covering the first 3 rounds will be by position and in no particular order. This of course can change depending on how the offseason continues to progress.

RB
DE
DT
OT

If I had to throw a wild guess at #10, assuming Jeanty is already off the board, I'm leaning toward DE being the pick. Then again, we're talking Poles here, so BPA will be the sole factor.

 

[Beengay fudgepackers]

I’d upgrade DT to big need. I’d also upgrade OT to big need because this offseason is about protecting Caleb. We draft the right Olineman and Caleb gets protection for most of his career.

 

[richig07]

I want to make an official prediction right now that we're going to take Ashton Jeanty.

I don't know why, but that has been in my gut for 2-3 weeks now.

This is happening. I’m more confident than ever now

 

[wood20ks]

This is happening. I’m more confident than ever now

We may have to trade up a bit to get him,but it certainly seems like he could on the to do list.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

This is happening. I’m more confident than ever now

You have two teams that will likely be drafting before us who have Jeanty on their must-draft list: The Raiders at 6, and the Cowboys, who I'll wager a dollar to a penny (inflation eliminates donuts) will trade down ahead of us to take him.

 

[wood20ks]

You have two teams that will likely be drafting before us who have Jeanty on their must-draft list: The Raiders at 6, and the Cowboys, who I'll wager a dollar to a penny (inflation eliminates donuts) will trade down ahead of us to take him.

This is happening. I’m more confident than ever now

Raiders are in an interesting spot........

@6,they can go a couple different ways......
If one of those two qbs are there(Sanders or Ward),Atl showed they made the wise choice of drafting Penix even tho signing Cousins......that was the surprise surprise pick of the draft....
Geno Smith is not a long term answer.....
Its hard to pick up a qb when you're picking in the later draft order,this maybe their chance.

They could also take McMillan.....he could be lethal coupled with Bowers.....TM is the top rated wr.
Bowers helped put the NE castoff on the map last season,McMillan is gonna be huge for them.

And Jeanty very well could be their pick......

Dallas trading up to get Jeanty.....??
I can see that trade down LSD,I can.....but Dallas just signed JaVonte Williams....so who knows.
But Zack Martin retired....so their should be a top olineman for them at 11......
JJ should learn what happens when you start with the toys and not the trenches......we sure could have used that olineman last season......

I just dont think its a wash that LV takes Jeanty.....
But the Raiders I think holds the cards on what we are gonna do.

 

[richig07]

So based on my rundown of the roster needs by unit, my early 4 pick projection covering the first 3 rounds will be by position and in no particular order. This of course can change depending on how the offseason continues to progress.

RB
DE
DT
OT

If I had to throw a wild guess at #10, assuming Jeanty is already off the board, I'm leaning toward DE being the pick. Then again, we're talking Poles here, so BPA will be the sole factor.

Edge rusher (or DT) is what we SHOULD do. I’ll say that much.