2025 Bears NFL draft grades: Live grades for every Chicago selection

USA Today

26-04-2025

2025 Bears NFL draft grades: Live grades for every Chicago selection
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Mina Kimes talks NFL Draft, Travis Hunter, and "chaotic" NFL teams
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes stops by Sports Seriously to talk NFL Draft and her new partnership with NFL x AWS with their new Draft IQ program.
Sports Seriously
The Chicago Bears spent free agency bulking up the offensive line in front of Caleb Williams. Will they continue to build around their young quarterback during the 2025 NFL Draft?
Many expect the Bears to add some skill position weapons early in the draft. They are armed with three of the draft's first 41 picks, and the expectation is they may target a top-tier running back, like Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, or a do-it-all tight end like Tyler Warren early on.
Doing so would help take playmaking pressure off Williams as the young quarterback grows into a franchise quarterback at the NFL level. Having a high-end backfield mate or a security blanket over the middle of the field would also go a long way toward helping cut down on the league-leading 68 sacks he took last season.
Of course, Chicago will likely attempt to add depth and talent to its defensive line during a loaded draft for the position group. The Bears already added veterans Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett during free agency, but no Chicago player had more than Montez Sweat's 5.5 sacks last season. Getting another high-end edge player or interior rusher could go a long way toward creating a strong defensive line rotation.
How are the Bears addressing these goals during the 2025 NFL Draft? Here are USA TODAY Sports' grades for each of Chicago's selections.
This section will be updated as picks are made.
Round 1, Pick 10: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Since last fall, Loveland has been measured against Tyler Warren, Penn State's breakout tight end who figured to leapfrog his Big Ten counterpart in the first round. Now, the two will assuredly be linked for some time after Loveland was taken first in one of the draft's most notable early surprises. New coach Ben Johnson surely knows how to take advantage of a tight end who can create mismatches in the passing game, though his new 6-6, 248-pound target is a much different kind of player than Sam LaPorta, whom Johnson put to immediate use in Detroit. But it's hard to argue with giving Caleb Williams a major weapon down the seam with a massive catch radius, especially with the quarterback now set up to have better protection in 2025.
The Bears chose their next-best pass catcher on the board in Loveland. He projects better in the NFL than in college where he spent years in a run-heavy system with the Wolverines. Loveland offers a similar skillset to Zach Ertz and upgrades the skill positions around quarterback Caleb Williams. Chicago does get dinged slightly for taking a tight end this high as the team has needs in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Round 2, Pick 39: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY Sports: B+
Chicago gets a new weapon in the slot for Caleb Williams to throw to at No. 39 here. Burden didn't test well at the combine but the film shows an after-catch threat as a wide receiver built like a running back. He should compliment Rome Odunze's skillset well in the receiving corps.
Michaell Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Sports: B
No excuses for Caleb Williams in Year 2. Between the addition of Ben Johnson, the overhauling of the offensive line and the addition of dynamic receiving targets in first-round tight end Colston Loveland and Burden, the Bears have weaponized their attack in impressive fashion. Johnson needs to get Burden to lock in, but the electric run-after-catch threat can ignite big plays, though many of his early touches will likely need to be schemed.
Round 2, Pick 56: Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College
All offense, all the time for Chicago. The Bears get back to the trenches with Trapilo, a towering blindside blocker who provides some insurance if left tackle Braxton Jones falters or has any trouble staying on the field after he fractured an ankle last season.
Bears left tackle Braxton Jones is a free agent in 2026 and Trapilo is a potential succession plan. He's one of the tallest linemen in the class with a good skillset in pass protection already. He'll need some time to get up to speed at the NFL level but could be a starter in time.
Round 2, Pick 62: Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M
Defensive line makes a sensible area for Ryan Poles to address after the Bears went heavy on offense early. Turner adds some juice to Chicago's front, though he's a bit wild to be entrusted as an every-down entity.
Turner is a tweener in the mold of a Nnamdi Madubuike at 6-foot-3 and 294 pounds but brings great power and length to the interior defensive line. The Bears signed Grady Jarrett in free agency but he's aging and Turner provides a future plan at the position. This may be a bit early but it's a great fit.
Below is a full list of Chicago's selections in the 2025 NFL Draft: