Offseason rants: Bears post draft thoughts

    Just a quick thought dump regarding the Bears 2025 draft group, in a nutshell what I felt once the draft was over and had some time to think, I came to this conclusion, it was absolutely not what I expected and I did not enjoy the Bears picks. Then once I had that settled, I started really try to understand what this group of rookies will offer this Bears team and I didnt come out with some theories.

   Colson Loveland is gonna make me not miss Keenan Allen one bit. Allen was focused a lot on last years offense, too much I would argue, but it did give Caleb Williams a nice target more often than not and I can say that Keenan did help in Williams progress as an NFL QB. Allen has lost a step and it shows, so in comes Loveland who really resembles what Allen did for the Bears in 2024, a younger version that brings good route running to separate, can stretch the field, has really good hands and can be a YAC threat, on top of that he can block from the slot. 

   Luther Burden III is insurance for D.J. Moore. Ben Johnson has poked Moore indirectly in interviews often, when he says he wants his players to play hard even when they dont have the ball, and then goes and drafts a RB type wideout that excels after getting the ball as a YAC monster, that's Moore. So coach Johnson is getting that skill set on top of someone that plays based on his culture one way or another.

   Ozzy Trapilo isn't coming for Braxton Jones spot... yet. Trapilo is needed depth, if the Bears need to learn something is that you need depth in the trenches, it's not enough just having a good set of starters, even with one of them getting injured it opens up an opportunity for the opponent to exploit it. Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie can continue to learn the position behind Darnell Wright and Jones.

   Shemar Turner shouldn't be a DT. There were other DTs I really considered more talented than Stewart who was talented but inconsistent at Texas A&M as a DT. I read someone mention that he could slim down and play EDGE and that really clicked for me. Texas A&M had three freak athletes in Shemar Stewart, Nic Scourton and Turner, but all three were inconsistent, one more than the other but all seemed to be playing out of their comfort zone. So, if Dennis Allen and the DL coaching staff saw that Turner could be their other EDGE depth piece instead of DT, that would make me feel better about the pick.

   Ruben Hyppolite II I just can not. I didn't get the pick, I knew nothing about him, it's the 4th round. So, I started watching games of him from Maryland, finished two of them, I still didn't get the pick. Hyppolite II is going to very possibly be a really good Special Teams player, he may be a good WLB, there is a very small need at LB depth but there is a need, I don't see it though. He is very fast but cant shed blockers, if there is a lane to the QB or RB he can attack and fill it very quickly, bulky but smallish so he doesn't often knock ball carriers back or miss to make the takedown, he is good in coverage in man but takes him a bit to react in zone. So, there is talent but I believe it's going to take some time for him to see the field. Picking him in the 4th is looking very much to be a reach by Ryan Poles and company.

   Zah Fraizer is good depth, doesn't hurt to have competition for Tyrique Stevenson. I didn't see any games from Frazier, once I did I got why some experts raved about him, he does come from a smaller conference school but does display skill potential and size. I don't expect him to debunk Stevenson, I prefer him to sit and learn and come in in dime or quarter packages. The Bears have had injurie problems specifically in the secondary so having more bodies here is key.

   Luke Newman will be needed depth for the iOL. Again, the Bears organization is doing the right thing in bolstering the OL depth. Newman is versatil, played tackle, guard and center, has come from a smaller conference school then play with Michigan State, he has been climbing the ladder and hopefully will continue to do so.

   Kyle Monangai is not a bad runner whatsoever, but the need outweighs the player. Monangai is a very complete player but lacks some skills that are coveted for a starting RB, which is what I expected the Bears to pursue. Monangai has good balance and leg power to kick chugging when getting hit, doesn't shy away from contact and shows it most when pass blocking where he has some very nice highlights where he just lights up incoming defenders, one note that came up is his ball security with no reported fumbles in his college career, can put his foot on the ground and change direction very well , he is small and although he has good speed, he tends to slow down and give defenders a chance to catch up. All of this just to say, he looks to be an excellent 3rd down back, he will push Travis Homer to the edge. Thinking that Monangai can win the starting job just like that is not real in my opinion, I really expect that Ben Johnson saw real starting potential ability in Roshon Johnson to push DeAndre Swift to a change of pace and receiving back with Monangai coming in for 3rd and long duties where he can show his blocking skills. This is real for Monangai, he can start from there and keep growing in this offense.

   In conclusion, I really don't have any big issues with the players, but mostly the order of prioritisation and the miss of picking up a S and a NT. Im understanding that Ben Johnson wants to hit the ground running with this offense and with the Bears current defense that did well last year, the trouble started when they lost Andrew Billings at the half of the season, so they got Grady Jarrett to help there, but that's it, if Gervon Dexter can't take another step further next year, the DL can be in trouble again. Offensively they did good with the OL and WRs but they had a chance to solidify the RB position in a deep RB class but just barely made due with Monangai, honestly when  Loveland got picked I thought they wanted to run to open the pass, but with the Burton pick it quickly changed my perspective to them wanting to pass to open the run. If the prioritie where made backwards of how they drafted I would may felt better, but I can see the posible plan made with this draft, set the culture, make every player feel uncomfortable, no one is safe, compete, that I can see and it may work.

2025 Draft prospects

    This year I was able to watch 185 top prospects (Hunter counts as two) from this years pool of draftable players. Still fun getting to have an idea of what these guys may bring to the field at the NFL level, but its still a grinding chore to do it and I only scratch the surface of what a complete evaluation of a players could be. The Bears have really good number and value picks this year, unfortunately there aren't many blue chip players but with the roster pretty much set, the Bears are in no desperate need to fill a starting spot and what this draft does have are a lot of quality players that could fill the Bears depth nicely.

I've always placed a round as a grade to where I consider the player to be best drafted at, but maybe I really wasn't placing much though on the grade, so I thought of defining what I would expect from a players drafted on what round.

1st rounders I consider to start immediately and elevate win possibilities for their team. For some positions a starter will still rotate like on the DL, others depends on their role or snap count like RBs, WRs and TEs on offense or NCBs and LBs that swap on defense.

2nd rounders should have the capacity to win a starting job in training camp or convince the team that this is their guy for next year.

3rd and 4rth rounders are players that have shown their talent with some inconsistent production, may it be by injury, they are "raw", lacking of proper coaching or simply just didn't get enough chances. These players should be capable of stealing some snaps when giving the chance when starters are taking a breather, it might take them 1 or two years to get where they need to be to get consideration of a starting roll.

5th and 6th rounders are pure developmental, they have physical traits but haven't shown it with productivity at the college level. Mostly will be good depth pieces.

7th rounders are mostly players that didn't have much playing time at the college level or are from smaller divisional schools that haven't had it tough enough as the others. I view these as players that teams don't want to be fighting for in free agency, so its best to get them now, most probably will end up on the practice squad if they pan out.

QBs

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Cameron Ward	Miami	1
Shedeur Sanders	Colorado	2 - 3
Kyle McCord	Syracuse	3
Jalen Milroe	Alabama	3
Dillon Gabriel	Oregon	3 - 4
Jaxon Dart	Ole Miss	4
Tyler Shough	Louisville	5
Will Howard	Ohio State	5
Quinn Ewers	Texas	6
Riley Leonard	Notre Dame	6

   Aside from Ward, I don't trust any of these QBs to start week one, it wouldn't surprise me to be completely wrong. Many believe Dart and Sanders have the most possibility to be drafted round 1, in my eye they are developmental and shouldn't start day 1, but this just isn't the normal practice anymore, if they get picked day 1 of the draft, they will most likely be shoved to play their first year and it will depend so much on their teams roster to help them keep pace. I like McCords´s chances of being a good QB in the league, he already looks like a pro QB, just needs to minimize the turnovers.

RB

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Ashton Jeanty	Boise State	1
Omarion Hampton	North Carolina	1
Cam Skattebo	Arizona State	1 - 2
Devin Neal	Kansas	2
TreVeyon Henderson	Ohio State	2 - 3
Nicholas Singleton	Penn State	3
Quinshon Judkins	Ohio State	3
Kaleb Johnson	Iowa	3
D.J. Giddens	Kansas State	3
Tahj Brooks	Texas Tech	3 - 4
Dylan Sampson	Tennessee	3 - 4
Jordan James	Oregon	4
Bhayshul Tuten	Virginia Tech	4
Brashard Smith	SMU	4
R.J. Harvey	UCF	4 - 5
Damien Martinez	Miami	4 - 5
Kyle Monangai	Rutgers	4 - 5
Ollie Gordon II	Oklahoma State	5
Trevor Etienne	Georgia	5
Jarquez Hunter	Auburn	5
Raheim Sanders	South Carolina	5
Jaydon Blue	Texas Tech	5
Kalel Mullings	Michigan	5 - 6
Donovan Edwards	Michigan	5 - 6
Jo'Quavious Marks	USC	6

   There are so many good running backs that have their own way of dominating. I honestly like Hampton more than Jeanty, has similar balance to absorb contact and is a more robust player that moves very smoothly, still I get why Jeanty has more value. Skateboo is a really fun nasty runner, just cant quit and keeps finding ways to keep himself up and moving. Neal is explosive, not the fastest but just needs one cut and he is gone, not easy to bring down, very dangerous runner. I like Singleton even if he doesn't really do anything special, he does everything good enough, solid player. Smith is an intriguing runner, ex wideout, some coaches would love to game plan around his skill set. Bulldozers Gordon and Martinez could be very good complementary backs at worst.

WR

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Travis Hunter	Colorado	1
Emeka Egbuka	Ohio State	1
Tetairoa McMillan	Arizona	1 - 2
Matthew Golden	Texas	1 - 2
Jayden Higgins	Iowa State	2
Luther Burden III	Missouri	2
Jack Bech	TCU	2 - 3
Elic Ayomanor	Stanford	3 - 4
Tez Johnson	Oregon	3 - 4
Kyle Williams	Washington State	3 - 4
Jaylin Lane	Virginia Tech	4
Savion Williams	TCU	4
Tre Harris	Ole Miss	4
Jaylin Noel	Iowa State	4
Dont'e Thornton Jr.	Tennessee	4 - 5
Xavier Restrepo	Miami	4 - 5
Isaiah Bond	Texas	4 - 5
Pat Bryant	Illinois	5
Tai Felton	Maryland	5
Tory Horton	Colorado State	5
Jalen Royals	Utah State	6
Jimmy Horn Jr.	Colorado	6

   I believe Hunter should consider playing more as a WR than a CB. I thought of placing Egbuka as my top receiver but Hunters is just very sudden and explosive while I see Egbuka as more of a technitian with his route running. McMillan and Golden have a skill which they excel at and its what separates them from the rest, if they can get better as receivers they can be more dangerous than the first two. If you miss on McMillan you can bet on drafting Higgins and get the same type of play from him. I like Bech and Kyle Willimas as a reliable receivers. I like Johnsons speed and route running, his size is really concerning, while Lane and Noel are a similar type of players and with better size, they are slightly less explosive. Ayomanor, Savion Willimas, Harris and Thornton Jr. have room to grow, if they do, they have the size and skills to be really dominant. I'm really not a big fan of Restrepo and Bond, the first did have production in college and Bond did display good skills, guess they can prove me wrong.

TE

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Colson Loveland	Michigan	1
Tyler Warren	Penn State	1
Harold Fannin Jr.	Bowling Green	2
Gunnar Helm	Texas	2 - 3
Luke Lachey	Iowa	3 - 4
Jake Briningstool	Clemson	4
Terrance Ferguson	Oregon	4
Mason Taylor	LSU	4 - 5
Mitchell Evans	Notre Dame	5 - 6
Elijah Arroyo	Miami	6
Oronde Gadsden II	Syracuse	6

   Had a hard time placing Loveland over Warren, but one is a true TE and the other is a weapon that depends on the scheme, so Warren really needs to go to a team that knows how to use him to be considered better than Loveland. Fannin is a really good receiving TE, a real mismatch. Helm is a reliable TE.

OT

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Will Campbell	LSU	1
Kelvin Banks Jr.	Texas	1
Josh Simmons	Ohio State	1 - 2
Josh Conerly Jr.	Oregon	1 - 2
Armand Membou	Missouri	2
Aireontae Ersery	Minnesota	2
Emery Jones	LSU	2 - 3
Ajani Cornelius	Oregon	2 - 3
Wyatt Milum	West Virginia	3
Ozzy Trapilo	Boston College	3
Charles Grant	William & Mary	4 - 5
Cameron Williams	Texas	5
Xavier Truss	Georgia	5
Anthony Belton	NC State	5
Hollin Pierce	Rutgers	5
Jack Nelson	Wisconsin	6

   Campbell is a tackle first. Banks can be a tackle. Simmons could be the best tackle in this draft. I really like Conerly to be a steal. I'm not as high as others with Membou, he gets my Broderick Jones comparison warning, given to Fashanu last year. 

OG

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Donovan Jackson	Ohio St	1
Grey Zabel	North Dakota State	1 - 2
Marcus Mbow	Purdue	1 - 2
Tyler Booker	Alabama	2
Luke Kandra	Cincinnati	3
Tate Ratledge	Georgia	3
Jonah Savaiinaea	Arizona	3
Dylan Fairchild	Georgia	4
Miles Fraizer	LSU	4 - 5
Connor Colby	Iowa	6

   Needless to say, I really like Jackson and could probably play tackle in an emergency, but he is a guard first. Zabel is this years Graham Barton. Really like Mbow, played tackle but has the build to play guard and be better at it. Booker is a mauler but has limitations in movement, needs to be played in a scheme that fits him to be dominant. Like how Kandra can control the line with his length. Ratledge and Savaiinaea didn't convince me completely to be early starters, but they did display good skills in college more often than not.

OC

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Seth McLaughlin	Ohio State	2
Jared Wilson	Georgia	2-3
Jonah Monheim	USC	3
Jake Majors	Texas	4
Gus Hartwig	Purdue	5
Jacob Gideon	Western Michigan	5

   Not many see McLaughlin as the best OC but I saw something different, either way, there isn't a sure cut starter this year.

DT

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Mason Graham	Michigan	1
Omar Norman-Lott	Tennessee	1 - 2
Tyleik Williams	Ohio State	1 - 2
Walter Nolen	Ole Miss	2
Kenneth Grant	Michigan	2
Alfred Collins	Texas	2
Derrick Harmon	Oregon	2 - 3
C.J. West	Indiana	3
Darius Alexander	Toledo	3
Aeneas Peebles	Virginia Tech	3
T.J. Sanders	South Carolina	3
Deone Walker	Kentucky	4
Shemar Turner	Texas A&M	4
Yahya Black	Iowa	5
Jordan Phillips	Maryland	5
Ty Hamilton	Ohio State	5
Joshua Farmer	FSU	5
Jamaree Caldwell	Oregon	6
J.J. Pegues	Ole Miss	6
Nazir Stackhouse	Georgia	6 - 7
Ty Robinson	Nebraska	7
Thor Griffith	Louisville	7

   Graham might not be the next big dominant DT but he will make others play better. Fan of Norman-Lott, very fun player looking him disrupt the LOS when rushing the passer. Williams has the size and power to move men at will, hope the injury he sustained in his pro day isn't serious. So many good DTs, but I will have my eye on Collins, West and Alexander as players that can surprise teams.

EDGE

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Abdul Carter	Penn State	1
Jalon Walker	Georgia	1
Mike Green	Marshall	1 - 2
James Pearce Jr.	Tennessee	1 - 2
Nic Scourton	Texas A&M	1 - 2
Mykel Williams	Georgia	1 - 2
Donovan Ezeiruaku	Boston College	2
Bradyn Swinson	LSU	2
Josaia Stewart	Michigan	2 - 3
J.T. Tuimoloau	Ohio State	2 - 3
Princely Umanmielen	Ole Miss	2 - 3
Shemar Stewart	Texas A&M	3
Jack Sawyer	Ohio State	3
Landon Jackson	Arkansas	3 - 4
Kyle Kennard	South Carolina	3 - 4
Dani Dennis-Sutton	Penn State	4 - 5
Jordan Burch	Oregon	5
Oluwafemi Oladejo	UCLA	6
L.T. Overton	Alabama	6
Elijah Roberts	SMU	7

   Carter is a sure top 3 pick but I really like Walker as a pure pass rusher. Green and Pearce are very good at what they do and have the prototypical build and skills, hope they can cash in the opportunity they will get to straighten their lives. Big fan of Scourton and Ezeiruaku, both different players but very productive in their own way. Stewart is Walker lite, might be small for an EDGE but has a big motor.

LB

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Jihaad Campbell	Alabama	1
Chris Paul Jr.	Ole Miss	2
Carson Schwesinger	UCLA	2
Jay Higgins	Iowa	2 - 3
Shemar James	Florida	3
Jamon Dumas-Johnson	Kentucky	3 - 4
Nick Martin	Oklahoma State	3 - 4
Cody Simon	Ohio State	4
Shaun Dolac	Buffalo	4 - 5
Jeffery Bassa	Oregon	5
Demetrius Knight Jr.	South Carolina	5
Jack Kiser Jr.	Notre Dame	5
Eugene Asante	Auburn	5
Barrett Carter	Clemson	6
Smael Mondon Jr.	Georgia	6

   I really struggle evaluating LBs, Campbell was easy to see why he is #1 this year. My favorites are Paul and Higgins, very different players but reliable in coverage and stop the run in their own way.

CB

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Azareye'h Thomas	Florida State	1 - 2
Will Johnson	Michigan	1 - 2
Darien Porter	Iowa State	1 - 2
Travis Hunter	Colorado	1 - 2
Benjamin Morrison	Notre Dame	1 - 2
Jahdae Barron	Texas	2
Dorian Strong	Virginia Tech	2
Trey Amos	Ole Miss	2 - 3
Jermari Harris	Iowa	2 - 3
Jacob Parrish	Kansas State	3
Shavon Revel Jr.	East Carolina	3 - 4
Jordan Hancock	Ohio State	4
Cobee Bryant	Kansas	4
Maxwell Hairston	Kentucky	4 - 5
Denzel Burke	Ohio State	4 - 5
Nohl Williams	California	4 - 5
Zy Alexander	LSU	4 - 5
Quincy Riley	Louisville	6

   Even if there isn't a lock down corner this year, there are a bunch of promising corners. My favorite is Thomas, a really good press corner, very physical and tough to get through. Johnson is best playing zone and very instinctive. Porter and Hunter are very good man cover corners with good speed. Morrison can play corner or nickel while Barron can play nickel or safety. 

S

NAME	SCHOOL	RD
Malaki Starks	Georgia	1 - 2
Andrew Mukuba	Texas	1 - 2
Kevin Winston Jr.	Penn State	2
Xavier Watts	Notre Dame	2
Nick Emmanwori	South Carolina	2 - 3
Malachi Moore	Alabama	2 - 3
Lathan Ransom	Ohio State	3
Sebastian Castro	Iowa	3
Rod Moore	Michigan	4
Keon Sabb	Alabama	4
Jonas Sanker	Virginia	4 - 5
Billy Bowman Jr.	Oklahoma	5

   Stark is the favorite safety in this draft and rightly so, but I really like Mukuba´s play- Winston, Watts and Emmanwori are the enforcer SSs but in different styles. Really like Castro´s motor, just needs a role and coaching.

   The Bears are in need of a RB, and can get a good one with any of their first 3 picks. They need a S as insurance, Byrd is getting old and Brisker´s health is a concern. Depth at EDGE and OL wouldn't hurt, they need to have answers if a FA fails to live up to expectation, the depth is very thin if someone gets hurt, it wouldn't hurt to start developing someone that can debunk a veteran and give the organization some cap breathing room in the near future. Another receiver to play the slot or give more depth would be smart. LB and CB could make sense, Edwards might have signed a contract but is getting old and even if I don't worry as much as others concerning Stevenson, there's always the chance he might not work or just have another option if the organization decides on not extending him in 2 years.