The Chicago Bears are in an ideal spot heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Thanks to a flurry of moves over the past month and a new regime in place, they have afforded themselves the ultimate flexibility: They don’t have any major needs.
That will allow general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson to take the best player available at each selection and get some incredible value in the process. They have four picks in the top 100, including a top-10 selection. It isn’t very often you see a roster with this much talent get the opportunity to add more at the top of the draft.
So, let’s explore what the Bears’ draft could look like in its entirety. Here is a full seven-round mock for Chicago.
For the record, in this mock scenario, Missouri tackle Armand Membou was still on board and I thought hard about taking him. I don’t think there’s such a thing as too much of an investment in the offensive line, and Johnson probably agrees. However, Warren still being on the board was a minor miracle, and if he really ends up being Brock Bowers-esque, I can’t imagine all the fun things Johnson could cook up for a weapon like him in this offense.
Jeanty was off the board in the first round, going to the New Orleans Saints at No. 9 in the simulation I ran, so the Bears didn’t have a shot at him, anyway. However, getting Hampton with their first pick of the second round is an absolute steal. It reminds me of how the Detroit Lions got tight end Sam LaPorta at the top of the second in 2023 after taking Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round, only reversed. Either way, Johnson now has two great young weapons to work with. Now, all that’s left is to hope that the offensive line is indeed solid enough to block for said offense.
Turns out, two weapons with the first two picks doesn’t mean the Bears don’t get reinforcements along the line. Zabel comes from FCS competition, but he’s gritty and physical, which is exactly what this new Bears regime prioritizes. Zabel also has size at 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds. Get him into an NFL strength and conditioning program, and he should get his weight up pretty easily, too. Zabel’s stock rose in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, where he stood up just fine against bigger school talent. If the Bears want competition at the left tackle spot for Braxton Jones, Zabel will give that to him and is incredible value at pick No. 41.
The Bears have afforded themselves flexibility thanks to a very active free agency period, which included preemptive trades that completely remade the interior of the offensive line. They also focused on the other side of the line of scrimmage, signing both Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo along the defensive line. With all of their starters seemingly locked up, the focus should turn to depth, and safety is a sneaky need Chicago should take seriously. Jaquan Brisker is an excellent safety, but he had some scary concussion issues last season and the drop-off from Brisker on the depth chart is steep. With their last Day 2 pick, getting Penn State’s Winston can help the Bears front office sleep easier, so that if they do need to rotate in another safety, the drop-off shouldn’t be too bad.
Once teams reach Day 3, it’s about getting the best value. I’d like to see more investment in the edge rotation, so Ingram-Dawkins out of Georgia can be a great addition to the rotation that now includes Montez Sweat, Odeyingbo and last year’s fifth-round pick Austin Booker, who general manager Ryan Poles remains high on. We’ll see what new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen can do with the scheme and existing personnel, but Ingram-Dawkins fits the profile of someone Allen could use. Translation: he’s big, standing at 6-5 and 276 pounds.
Chicago just locked up hometown kid T.J. Edwards to a contract extension, but it can’t hurt to help with linebacker depth, especially now that Jack Sanborn is gone. Utah has consistently had an excellent defense the past few years, so Reid comes with some pedigree, even in the seventh round.
The Bears have a pretty decent interior defensive line rotation and this pick is just to ensure they continue to have that rotation, which is so important in Allen’s defensive scheme. Keeping guys fresh and staying stout up front is the most important thing, and that becomes easier the deeper the defensive line rotation is.
Carmen Vitali is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.
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