After months of anticipation and speculation, the 2025 NFL Draft is finally in the books. This is the point in the schedule where all 32 teams attempt to convince the world that they got every player they were after, while also trying to convince themselves that their work has put championship contention within reach.
The NFL is a zero-sum game, so for every team that will be able to improve upon their results from last season, even more will stay stuck in neutral or slide backwards. For every pick hyped as the missing piece, even more will make little to no impact. It's just the nature of the sport.
The Chicago Bears are saying all the right things about their draft, as well they and every other team should. Their selection of Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick was a surprise to many, but most observers have to at least admit that they see the vision of Ben Johnson trying to get a Windy City version of Sam LaPorta.
The second round was even more surprising, as general manager Ryan Poles went for another skill position player in Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III. Burden joins a receiving corps that returns DJ Moore and Rome Odunze and added Olamide Zacchaeus and Devin Duvernay. He'll now hope to take over the starting slot receiver role after Keenan Allen wasn't brought back in free agency and Odunze received a promotion to the No. 2 spot.
The Bears continued to fortify positions that they addressed in free agency with some of their other picks. Second-rounder Ozzy Trapilo and sixth-rounder Luke Newman bring youth to the revamped offensive line. Third-rounder Shemar Turner is an exciting addition to a defensive line that already added Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett, while cornerback Zah Turner strengthens a secondary that recently re-signed do-everything nickel corner Kyler Gordon to a lucrative extension.
Other areas either weren't addressed at all or were given minimal resources in the draft. Unsurprisingly, those are the areas that Bears fans will have questions about as the season approaches. Will Chicago add some last-minute free agents to compete, or is this more or less what the roster will look like?
Today we're taking a look at three areas of concern that didn't receive the same attention as the pass-catchers and the trenches.
How will the running back depth chart shake out?
Bears fans who were all-in on Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty were left disappointed when the Las Vegas Raiders selected him with the sixth overall pick. We'll never know if the Bears would have taken the Heisman runner-up if he dropped to No. 10 (though I'm thinking that one is a resounding yes), but in any event, the Bears went with Loveland and seem happy to have done so.
Missing out on Jeanty was disappointing, but this was such a deep running back draft that heading into Day 2, most Bears fans expected that someone like Iowa back Kaleb Johnson or Arizona State back Cam Skattebo would soon be wearing navy and orange. Shockingly, the Bears didn't take a player for Caleb Williams to hand the ball to until their final pick, the 233rd overall selection in the seventh round.
That selection turned out to be Kyle Monangai, a workhorse who was named first team All-Big Ten in each of the last two seasons. Monangai never fumbled the ball in five years at Rutgers, and his physical running style has been compared to fellow Scarlet Knight and current Chiefs halfback Isiah Pacheco. Will that be enough for him to crack the running back rotation in his rookie year?
The Bears got underwhelming production from former Eagle D'Andre Swift last year, even when taking into account that the offensive line was in turmoil for much of the season. Swift was one of the worst backs in the league according to advanced metrics, and with a new, offensive-minded head coach now calling the shots, it would appear that his days as the starter in Chicago are numbered — especially since Johnson's former team, the Lions, once traded Swift away, presumably with Johnson's input.
Monangai should get chances to show what he can do, as should third-year running back Roschon Johnson. Ian Wheeler, who impressed in training camp last year before tearing his ACL in the preseason finale, could also figure into the mix if he comes back healthy.
Any honest Bears fan would tell you that they have no idea how the running back situation is going to shake out. The Bears could still sign someone like Nick Chubb or JK Dobbins. They could trade Swift and let the young guys fight it out, or trade for a guy like Breece Hall. Or they could give Swift another shot behind what should be a much better offensive line. We might not have much clarity anytime soon.
Who is going to help TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds at linebacker?
It was surprising when the Bears let strongside linebacker Jack Sanborn walk in free agency, especially given that he signed with the Dallas Cowboys for only one year and $1.5 million. New defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has a particular system and a particular kind of player he likes, though, and it seems Sanborn doesn't fit into that vision.
That's all well and good, but it's unknown who is going to take Sanborn's place. As of now, the depth chart lists Noah Sewell as the starter alongside Edwards and Edmunds. Sewell, who has two brothers that also play in the league — Penei, an All-Pro lineman in Detroit, and Nephi, a special teams player in New Orleans — hasn't gotten many snaps outside special teams, so it seems unlikely that he'll suddenly be gifted a starting role in his third year in the league.
Swayze Bozeman, an former undrafted free agent that played for the Chiefs last year, has also been signed, but he doesn't have any real experience on his resume, either.
The Bears did come away with one linebacker in the draft, though most experts labeled the fourth-round selection of Maryland 'backer Ruben Hyppolite II a reach. The former Terrapin was productive the last two years with 132 tackles, and he has blazing 4.42 40 speed, but that doesn't necessarily profile to play on the strong side, which usually demands bigger linebackers that are more suited to stopping the run than dropping into coverage. That's not his game.
Hyppolite's speed makes him an interesting developmental prospect, but there's almost no way he's going to be the Week 1 starter. This feels like a spot where the Bears will bring in a reasonably priced veteran to do the job.
Can Jaquan Brisker stay on the field at strong safety?
Brisker was having the best season of his career last year, then it all went sideways when he suffered a concussion against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. He was eventually placed on injured reserve and never returned, missing the final 12 games as Jonathan Owens filled in for him.
One week before going down, Brisker put up a game that made it look like he could be a Pro Bowler for the first time in his career. His 12 tackles, one sack and one interception against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 were critical in allowing the Bears to beat the eventual NFC West champs. Owens did a solid job in relief, but he's not a guy that's capable of leaving his mark on the game the way Brisker is.
Brisker has now had three concussions in his career, and the fact that he missed the final three months of the season provides little comfort that he and the Bears won't be in the same position next season.
It seemed like a good idea for the Bears to draft a potential replacement for Brisker, or at least a high-upside prospect that could learn behind him while he was healthy, but that never happened. Now they look set to go into the season in the same position they were in last year.
Brisker is an above average player, but as they say, the best ability is availability. Bears fans only want what's best for him and the team. If he sustains another head injury, him continuing to play football won't be the answer to either.
The Bears are entering their first year under Johnson, but for as promising as the Bears' new leader seems to be, it's not like he can just snap his fingers and put together a Super Bowl roster overnight. Poles has done great work this offseason; that's a start. No team has ever fixed all of their many problems in one draft, though, and this year's Bears are no exception. Progress has been made, but Bears fans will need to be patient as they wait for the answers to their roster questions.