It doesn’t seem too early to start talking about the NFL Draft for the Chicago Bears. This is a 4-10 team that is on a devastating eight-game losing streak. Their rookie quarterback and No. 1 pick, Caleb Williams, has been getting beat up all year – he’s been sacked more than any other quarterback in the league. He also saw his offensive coordinator get fired, followed by his head coach, in embarrassing fashion.
The Bears may have something to build on in Williams — he’s thrown for 2,937 yards and 17 touchdowns against just five interceptions — but general manager Ryan Poles still has a ton of work to do. Due to how the Bears obtained the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 (via a trade in 2023 for the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 with the Carolina Panthers), it was assumed that this Chicago’s team was further ahead than the typical franchise ending. with the first pick of the draft.
The Bears are not the worst team in the league. So give them credit for that. It could be the stumbling and clumsy Los Vegas Raiders or the seemingly perpetually lost New York Giants (at least lately).
Currently, the Bears’ first-round pick is planned to be No. 9 overall. This doesn’t take into account these last few weeks of football or any trades that might take place, because we know the Poles are not afraid to roll and negotiate. We also assume that Poles is still the guy once the 2025 NFL Draft takes place. This is not a given. The Bears are 14-34 overall during his tenure, and they will be looking for a new head coach for 2025. He could be swept up in the pursuit of a “new era.”
No matter who drafts for the Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft, these three players would be formidable targets.
Guard: Tyler Booker, Alabama
The Bears have been a mess on the offensive line all season, as the sack numbers against Williams suggest. Chicago could use some fresh blood on the interior of the offensive line. Drafting an IOL is even more important when considering the free agency situation. Guards Tevin Jenkins and Matt Pryor will both be free agents, as will swing interior lineman Doug Kramer.
A serious talent boost is needed on the interior of the offensive line. If there’s one franchise that knows the importance of asserting itself in the trenches, it would be Chicago.
As such, guard Tyler Booker, an Alabama native, would be a fantastic first-round pick for the Bears. There was a time when taking a guard in the Top 10 of the draft would be avoided, but we’ve seen in recent years what a star guard can do for an NFL offensive line. Just look at what Quenton Nelson means to the Indianapolis Colts, and they took him 6th overall in 2017.
Check out the comparison. Nelson checks in at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds. Booker checks in at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds.
Booker started 11 games at left guard for the Crimson Tide in 2024 and one at left tackle, so he is versatile. He was also a permanent team captain at Alabama, so he will bring leadership to Chicago.
Offensive tackle: Will Campbell, LSU
The Bears may not be within reach of getting Will Campbell out of LSU based on how his testing goes in the combine, but if there’s a way for them to swing him — or s he falls to them – he should be the pick for Chicago. Protecting Williams has to be Chicago’s top priority going into the NFL Draft, and Campbell is as good as it gets.
He’s 6-foot-6 and 323 pounds, and he’s a consensus first-team All-American. He was a three-year starter at left tackle for LSU. Campbell started all 38 games in which he appeared for the Tigers.
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He is the type of player the Bears can bring in at either tackle spot over the next 10-15 years.
Defensive line: Mykel Williams, Georgia
You have to give the Georgia Bulldogs credit. Kirby Smart not only built a championship program in Athens, but he also built a factory for defensive prospects in the NFL Draft.
Mykel Williams appears to be among the next great Georgia defenders to enter the NFL ranks. He’s a 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive lineman who is versatile enough to play anywhere along the defensive line. He had 15 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles for the Bulldogs this season. That includes two sacks in the SEC Championship Game against Texas.
Williams has wrecker written all over him as an NFL defensive line prospect. He would help the Bears reestablish the defensive identity they have always been known for.
