The Bears 2025 Draft Thread

[Beengay fudgepackers]

Here are some Kyle Monangai highlights:



Seems to play faster than his poor 40 time of 4.6, which might be in part why he lasted until pick #233. I like his cutbacks. Built like a brick shithouse. Fascinating that he never fumbled once in his collegiate years. No guarantee that he'll even make the team, altho I'll be pulling for him.

I am not sure if it’s true, but I heard that the pass catching concerns were mostly because they never ran passing plays for him college. That wouldn’t explain his pass blocking issues though. It sounds like he’s great at running the ball and sucks at everything else. I don’t know if he’s going to make it either. If he does, he might be able to etch out a role on this offense. He sounds like Khalil Herbert.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I am not sure if it’s true, but I heard that the pass catching concerns were mostly because they never ran passing plays for him college. That wouldn’t explain his pass blocking issues though. It sounds like he’s great at running the ball and sucks at everything else. I don’t know if he’s going to make it either. If he does, he might be able to etch out a role on this offense. He sounds like Khalil Herbert.

I think he's more of a thumper than Khalil, but I get your comparison. These are likely additional reasons why he lasted into the 7th round. I know one thing, you can only last so long as a RB in the NFL if you only do one thing decently.

 

[averagejoe]

I'll go on record saying that if I am going to trust Ben Johnson, then I should trust the drafting of the players he wanted.

They arguably got the best TE and they got the 2nd-best WR. As far as rookie success is concerned, every player selected after round 2 has a greater chance at being a bust. So ya might as well pick who you want.

 

[justanidiot]

That's the mode we should all be in. I wasn't thrilled with how the draft played out, but I figure the very least we can do is see how it translate onto the field. I'm sure as hell not guaranteeing success, in fact I've been thinking and continue to feel our top record will be 8-9. But that's what I would be thinking even if the draft went exactly how I laid it out.

I just dont get that move from 41. Did they get the guy they targeted with Ozzy, or did they expect Ersery to be there, a guy that shut down Abdul Carter? This happens with every Poles draft. If they got their guy at 41, would they have been able to not draft two more offensive tackles later in the draft? I know Olin surely thought Ersery was the right move, will be with Houston now.

Seemed like a full draft of someone we expected or at least hindsight made more sense when you look back at who got taken before our picks.

 

[BearsWillWin]

I'll go on record saying that if I am going to trust Ben Johnson, then I should trust the drafting of the players he wanted.

They arguably got the best TE and they got the 2nd-best WR. As far as rookie success is concerned, every player selected after round 2 has a greater chance at being a bust. So ya might as well pick who you want.

My problem with the whole trust Ben Johnson thing is just....why? What trust has he earned? We've seen what he can do calling plays with a roster built by someone else. We have not seen what he can do when he's the head coach and 100% of the pressure is on him.

Trust is earned. He's earned 0 so far. When the wins come and I see players being developed....trust will follow.

 

[averagejoe]

That is a valid point @BearsWillWin

But I like what he has said and done (hiring his staff), so I stand behind his draft choices too.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

So let's talk about the 2026 draft, shall we? Hehehe, just kidding.....sorta.

I did want to see how the general draft would shape. Because it's obviously way too early to predict the top talent, the risers and the fallers, there does seem to be an early consensus that this could be the most balanced draft in some time, with the offense and defense splitting the top names. While there is strength in general all around, no single position or unit dominates, altho there does appear to be a heavier concentration on the OL & DL. If it's any consolation, some mocks have us drafting as high as 18th, which should put us somewhere in the 7-9 win category.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Time for a mini, way too early evaluation of our 8 draft picks:

10. Colston Loveland, TE - I'm not sure if the Bears would have taken Kelvin Banks had the Saints not taken him with the 9th pick, but it's obvious that once he was, Loveland became the top player on their board. Who knows, maybe he was all along. He seems to be everything Johnson wants in his TE. Not a dig at Kmet, but Loveland appears to be the more dynamic receiver between the two.

39. Luther Burden III, WR - Early snippets have popped out that the Bears were gonna take RB TreVeyon Henderson had he not been snagged by the Pats. But it seems like Poles and co may have seen this as a blessing in disguise because they didn't hesitate to go with Burden. I'm thinking this kid is gonna be special. His speed, toughness, agility and his specialty of YAC should provide a nice playbook for the coaching staff.

56. Ozzy Trapilo, OT - Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy Oy Oy Oy - apologies to Outback, had to do that. He might be one of the more NFL-ready OL in this draft. How can you not love zero penalties over 772 snaps last season. That's insane. Suffice to say discipline and poise are two of his strong points.

62. Shemar Turner, DT - His quote: "Like, kill. Literally just go, go, bro. That's all I'm thinking about as soon as I touch the field, all I do is go." I guess we don't have to worry about intensity with this guy. But I read or heard somewhere he does have a penchant for committing needless penalties, so that will have to be contained. Nonetheless, I like his fire.

132. Ruben Hyppolite II, LB - A vast majority of analysts and pundits labeled this pick as one of the worst in the draft. Most had him as a 6th or 7th rounder, even UDFA. So besides sheer speed - I mean, how many linebackers out there bring a 4.39 40 time with them (at his pro day) - not sure why he's so lambasted or conversely why the Bears might have taken him too early.

169. Zah Frazier, CB - A tall drink of water for a CB at 6'3, but he also brings blazing 4.34 speed, along with 6 INTs & 9 PDs last year. This is a candidate for being a later round steal.

195. Luke Newman, OT - Hello Newman (I'm on a roll). I'd be thrilled if he even makes the team as a depth piece for the OL.

233. Kyle Monangai, RB - Another insane stat, this kid never fumbled once, not even once in his collegiate career. And that's with 669 carries and 38 receptions. There's no guarantee that he'll make the roster, especially if the rumors of Nick Chubb inking with us end up being true, but still ya gotta love this kid's tenacity.

 

[wood20ks]

Question on Get Up this morning was asked"Who is the biggest winner this offseason.....??"

Answer was Caleb Williams........
Biggest offensive mind in all of football with Ben Johnson.
New off-line.
In the draft they get Loveland who can seperate like a wr.......
They add Luther Burden in the 2nd,thats two ne weapons to go along with DJ Moore and Rome.....
So the winner is Caleb Williams.....If you can't do it with these guys,I don't know who you can.


The pressure is on Caleb now.....thats for sure.

 

[beardown07]

Nothing revisionist. New England needed protection for Maye and got high end talent.

We needed pass rush and more protection for Caleb and went for projects like Kiran again.

Poles would have followed a different path with Vrabel.

Well, I think they kinda tipped their hat to that in Free Agency.

The o-line and d-line will be better. The interior of the o-line should be much better.

And Grady Jarrett will make a difference on the d-line too.



I agree, it's not the way I would've done things, but I'll wait and see. I don't think the Bears are far off. They are young and talented, and I think they had a lowkey, great FA.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I agree, it's not the way I would've done things, but I'll wait and see. I don't think the Bears are far off. They are young and talented, and I think they had a lowkey, great FA.

It's not the way most, if not all of us would have done things. I had Banks Jr as my 10th pick, he was taken 9th by the Saints. It's obvious after the top 3 OL were taken that Poles and co didn't feel there was anyone left on the OL who merited their pick, at least at that slot. So he goes BPA and grabs Loveland. We could wonder they could have switched over to the D side and say taken someone like Mykel Williams (my alternate pick) or Kenneth Grant. But you can bet your bottom dollar that there were have been complaints about that being a reach. The same with pick 39, where I had us taking Henderson or Judkins, but once the top 4 RBs were off the board, Poles obviously felt going after one would be a reach, and here's Luther Burden III, a 1st round level talent staring them in the face. So again he goes BPA.

Bottom line, it is what it is. They may not have drafted the way we armchair experts wanted them to do, but they landed some talent. And like you said, we did ok in the FA period prior to the draft. All we can do from this point forward is see how it all plays out.