The 2025 NFL Draft is just under five weeks away from kicking off. For the fourth season in a row, the Chicago Bears are set to make their first pick in the Top 10. Unlike the last three drafts, the top-end talent is shallow, at least on paper. With the top two quarterbacks, Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter, expected to fly off the board in the opening five selections, the potential picture at No. 10 overall is more clouded than usual.
Fortunately for the Bears, their aggressive free agent approach has left their board wide open heading into the opening round in late April. Although this roster is far from finished, they don’t have any pressing needs that would force them to reach at any point in the draft. The biggest issue is that the talent pool is similar from pick No. 10 until midway through the second round. The good news for the Bears is that they currently hold three of the draft’s top 41 picks, which leaves them open to being creative in forming their approach.
Positional value should always be held in high regard, but I challenge fans to view the opening rounds of this draft class from a different perspective. The team’s needs are clearly defined; luckily, this group of prospects aligns well with what they are likely to target. Chicago’s top needs include offensive line, running back, defensive end, and defensive tackle. Tight end and safety are other sneaky areas that could be drafted higher than expected.
For conversation’s sake, let’s assume that three of their four first picks will consist of offensive line, defensive line, and running back. If I were laying out an expected blueprint, I’d expect a left tackle, defensive end, running back, and a guard with center versatility. Although I’d love to see them take a defensive tackle early, the signing of Grady Jarrett gives them three good options to rotate: Chris Williams and Jonathan Ford as younger players with upside that will compete for that final spot or two on the depth chart in August.
Of the three assumed positions, running back is the deepest group. There’s no denying that. The conflicting aspect of this is that Ashton Jeanty (if he’s still on the board) is very likely to be the best player available. Some of this will come down to differences in evaluations, but let’s take a deeper dive into some of the other potential players in each position and compare them to Jeanty.
The Other Options
Offensive Line
Call it a gut feeling, but I believe that left tackle will be an area of focus for the Bears early in the draft. Braxton Jones has been solid but has missed plenty of time due to injury over the last two years, including a back issue and a broken leg. More importantly, the free agent market has exploded for tackles recently. For example, Dan Moore, a well below-average left tackle, just got a four-year, $82 million deal from the Tennessee Titans. Are the Bears prepared to give Jones upward of $25 million annually? Considering how much they’ve invested in their interior, I tend to doubt it.
Armand Membou
For my money, Membou is the best pure tackle prospect in this group. His height (6’4) isn’t ideal, but he’s got the length and possibly the highest ceiling of any offensive lineman in this class. Two issues, though: He’s unlikely to be there at No. 10. Two, he’s only played on the right side as a tackle at Missouri. There’s a level of risk drafting someone like Membou when you already have your long-term right tackle on the roster.
Will Campbell
If Campbell’s arms were over 33 inches, he’s an unquestioned Top 10 pick. Unfortunately for him, they are not, and there are benchmarks for a reason. Campbell is a technician; in many ways, he reminds me of Peter Skronski coming out of Northwestern. His game is similar to Braden Smith’s, but if he can’t hack it at tackle, I have concerns about his ability to be a dominant player in the interior. We’ll see how the Bears evaluate him, but there’s plenty of risk involved in a pick like Campbell if he falls to 10.
Tyler Booker
After adding three interior starters in free agency, it appears unlikely that Chicago would go after a heavy-footed interior-only player like Booker. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Booker’s game, but the Bears should be more focused on drafting someone with a little more fluidity a round or two later.
Kelvin Banks Jr.
Banks Jr. is an interesting name because he’s one of the only true left tackle prospects who doesn’t have an injury history. He didn’t test as well as expected at the combine, but he’s firmly in the first-round mix. The question for me: Is he worthy of a Top 10 selection? Part of me says yes, but he ends up on the ground far too much for my liking. In most classes, he’s the type of player who goes in the first round’s back half.
Josh Simmons
Simmons was well on his way to being in the conversation for OT1 before tearing his patellar tendon halfway through Ohio State’s season. He’s smaller than ideal for a tackle, but he’s got the length and athleticism to overcome any issues that might create. Although he says he’ll be healthy for his Pro Day, getting medically cleared will be a big hurdle. Knee issues for big men like him are never a great thing at any point during a playing career.
Defensive End
On paper, edge-rushing depth might be the Bears’ biggest need heading into the draft. Sure, they’ve got plenty of money invested in Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingo, but they have similar skill sets, and neither one of them will be a true pass-rushing player. Allen likes his defensive ends big, but this group needs an edge rusher specializing in getting after the quarterback. I’m not sure that a player can be found without reaching the first round, but plenty of names exist to consider.
Jalon Walker
Outside of Carter, there’s an argument that Walker is the most exciting pass rusher in the draft. The biggest issue for Chicago is his size and overall role. He’s a tweener who will likely need to play off the ball and require a creative defensive mind to get the most out of him. He doesn’t check any of Dennis Allen’s boxes, which makes me believe he won’t be in the conversation, even if he’s at No. 10.
James Pearce Jr.
For my money, Pearce Jr. is the best “fit” for the Bears in terms of value and overall play style. The primary concern with the Tennessee product is his supposed character concerns. It’s all speculation for the time being, and nobody has been able to say or pinpoint the issue, but if there are true character concerns, it’s hard to imagine General Manager Ryan Poles pulling the trigger on him. At least based on prior history. Maybe he’ll be more comfortable with his leadership now, though.
Mike Green
Green’s production at Marshall was impressive, and on the surface, he would make a lot of sense for the Bears. Unfortunately, he’s faced some pretty serious allegations that he tried to address during his combine media session. I’m not here to play judge and jury, but if there’s one thing we know about the Bears, it’s that they aren’t likely to take a chance on someone with those types of character concerns. Add onto the fact that he doesn’t really hit any of the marks regarding his measurables, and Green doesn’t seem like a fit here in Chicago.
Mykel Williams
If the Bears are looking to take a new approach on the defensive side of the ball, might I suggest going the Philadelphia Eagles route and just taking every Georgia defender under the sun? In all seriousness, Williams is an interesting prospect. He hits all the measurables but didn’t test as well on his pro day as most expected. He didn’t produce much in college, but Georgia’s defense doesn’t ask their edge rushers to do much pass-rushing. His athletic testing might knock him down further than 10, although I’d much rather take a chance on him than the next player on this list.
Shemar Stewart
Rewinding to the scouting combine, Stewart was the talk of the edge rushers. His testing was off the charts, and it was almost enough for most people to forget that he had 4 ½ total sacks during his college tenure. I’m all for taking the upside pick, but Stewart hasn’t produced and, frankly, lacks football instincts. He’d be a sizable statistical outlier to work out at the NFL level. He fits the bill for Allen’s defense, but there’s plenty of risk involved with a pick like this.
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Defensive Tackle
Going into the offseason, I had defensive tackle as one of their least talked about roster needs. After signing Grady Jarrett, the near-term need isn’t as strong, but you can never have enough good defensive linemen. With Gervon Dexter Sr. & Jarrett on the roster, a nose tackle with some pass-rushing ability makes the most sense. I’m not convinced that it would be smart to use a first-round selection on that skill set, but many different varieties of that flavor exist early in this class.
Mason Graham
Questions about his length and overall size remain, but the man just plays ball at a high level. Unfortunately for the Bears, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be there when the team makes their selection at 10. If he is, the Bears should run the pick to the podium and figure out their depth chart later.
Kenneth Grant
Grant is a highly talent, surprisingly athletic player for his size. Michigan’s defensive front had some outstanding talent, especially on the interior. I’ve seen comps to players like Dexter Lawrence, and from an athletic standpoint, I could see it. Even so, he projects as a nose tackle at the NFL level and would need to grow quite a bit to become a pass-rushing defensive tackle. As much as I like Grant, I don’t think a run-stuffing nose tackle is a good value at 10, especially with the talent expected to be around in the second round (ie, Tyleik Williams and Alfred Collins).
Walter Nolen
Nolen might be the most polarizing prospect of the first round. He’s drawn comps to players like Jeffery Simmons, but there are some character concerns that certain draft analysts have cited. His tape is undeniable, although there’s still something that is left to be desired. I might be in the minority with this take, but I’d be totally OK if the Bears rolled the dice on Nolen at 10.
Derrick Harmon
The former Michigan State product turned Oregon Duck is an interesting case study. In his three years as a Spartan, he was a solid player. It wasn’t until his final (and lone) year with the Ducks that he became a game-changer. Harmon has the physical profile of a five-technique but needs refinement as a pass rusher. In reality, he’s probably too much of a project to take at 10, but with a small trade back, he could be an interesting option.
The Case For Ashton Jeanty (If He’s There At 10)
Let’s be clear: There’s a real chance that the star running back doesn’t make it to the Bears’ pick. Between the Las Vegas Raiders and another surprise team between picks 7 and 9, Jeanty could benefit from a rather weak top-end of this draft class. Assuming that he does make it to 10 and the Bears are on the clock with no good options to trade down, the Boise State product should be a real consideration.
In 2023, when the Detroit Lions took Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 12 overall pick, many people (including myself) laughed at the pick. General manager Brad Holmes perfectly described him as a “special player, regardless of position.” Now, I won’t sit here and say these are one-for-one comparisons when looking at the two players’ skill sets. I will say that most draft analysts have a higher grade on Jeanty than on Gibbs. More importantly, Ben Johnson’s offense needs the right one-two punch to reach its full potential.
There’s no denying that this is a deep class of running backs. As a player, Jeanty stands out as the clear-cut No. 1 in multiple different facets. His ability to break tackles and gain yards after contact is second to none. For context, he forced 152 missed tackles on 397 offensive touches. His seven yards-per-carry ranked fifth in the nation of any running back with 1,000 rushing yards or more. His vision and instincts as a runner are rare, so even if he doesn’t have elite breakaway speed, what he’s shown in college is much more likely to translate to the NFL level.
More importantly, This is not a deep talent pool at the top end of the draft. Sure, positional value should always play a role, but if we’re already assuming they’ll take a running back within their first few picks, why not take the best of the bunch? That would leave them with better stylistic fits at edge rusher early in the second round. It would also allow them to take a developmental offensive lineman without the pressure of needing to justify the pick by starting him in Week 1.
Overall, the draft plays to the Bears’ needs relatively well outside the first round. Instead of forcing a pick on a lesser player at a higher positional value, they should embrace the ability to take an offensive game-changer if he’s there. Jeanty might not be a “generational talent,” but he’s one of this draft’s Top 5 best players. If that type of player falls to you at 10, you run to the podium and don’t look back. This isn’t a case of taking one player to pass on another group with similar values. It’s a case of taking a considerably better player on paper and knowing that the ability to address other needs will be there in the second and third rounds. Embrace a strange draft year. Take the best talent there. Don’t overthink it and allow one of the best offensive minds in football worry about making him a star.