Chicago Bears rookie outlook: What to know about the 8 draft picks before training camp
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Bears training camp includes 11 practices open to public — and Family Fest is back at Soldier Field
Who did the Bears select in the 2025 NFL draft? Meet the 8-player class.
The Bears raised some eyebrows when they selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 pick. It wasn't that Loveland wasn't deserving of being a top-10 pick but more so the notion that the team had bigger needs at offensive tackle or on the defensive line.
But the Bears are doing things differently under coach Ben Johnson. The tight end position is a priority. Read more here.
Four wide receivers were selected in the first round of the NFL draft in April. Luther Burden III was not among them.
In the second round, when the 39th pick came around and Burden was still available, coach Ben Johnson and the Bears were happy to swoop in. The move came as somewhat of a surprise, given that the Bears already had DJ Moore and Rome Odunze on the roster. Johnson saw a chance to add a playmaker. Read more here.
The battle is on at left tackle.
GM Ryan Poles promised competition at the position in February, and he provided it in the form of 6-foot-8 Boston College tackle Ozzy Trapilo.
The Bears drafted Trapilo in the second round at No. 56. Trapilo, who agreed to a contract Thursday, spent the spring competing with second-year pro Kiran Amegadjie for reps at left tackle. Incumbent starter Braxton Jones will join the competition when he returns from an ankle injury.
Those three should provide the most intriguing position battle during training camp. Read more here.
The Bears continued their offseason focus on the trenches when they drafted Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner with a second-round pick (No. 62) in April.
The Bears already had signed defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo during free agency. But in Turner, general manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson saw a defensive tackle who plays with a fire they like. Read more here.
Chances are, many Bears fans had never heard of Ruben Hyppolite II.
When the Bears drafted Hyppolite at No. 132 in the fourth round in April, his name was relatively unknown. The Maryland linebacker wasn't among the 329 players invited to the NFL scouting combine in February.
But his name certainly was one Bears coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles were interested in. Read more here.
Length comes up a lot when talking about offensive and defensive linemen. NFL teams want tackles with long arms. The same is true for edge rushers, who have to battle with those long-armed offensive tackles.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has shown an affinity for drafting long-armed players at another position group: defensive back. He found another one when he selected Zah Frazier out of Texas-San Antonio in April in the fifth round (No. 169). Frazier's 32⅞-inch arms were the second-longest of any cornerback measured at the NFL scouting combine in February.
Length alone won't land Frazier a spot on the team, but the Bears are optimistic he has the physical tools to develop into a quality NFL cornerback. Read more here.
Even after investing heavily in veteran offensive linemen in March, the Bears weren't done bolstering the protection in front of quarterback Caleb Williams.
NFL offensive lines always can use extra help. Coach Ben Johnson has said it several times since he was hired — it's not only about having five great starters but being able to go seven, eight or nine deep. Injuries often make that a necessity.
The Bears found additional help in the draft when they selected Luke Newman out of Michigan State with a sixth-round pick (No. 195). .
Twenty-one running backs were selected in the 2025 NFL draft ahead of Kyle Monangai. Bears general manager Ryan Poles selected Monangai in the seventh round (No. 233) with the team's final pick.
Monangai comes to Chicago after back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons at Rutgers. He joins a backfield that returns starter D'Andre Swift and last year's No. 2 option, Roschon Johnson. Read more here.
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The most unforgettable fashion at WNBA All-Star Weekend, from ‘orange carpet' to tunnel walks
INDIANAPOLIS — The narrative arc of the WNBA's explosive growth can be traced in many ways: a positive slope of rising ticket sales and prices, merchandise booms, brand partnerships, sportsbook markets, salary conversations and expansion teams. The league's cultural impact, though, can be felt perhaps nowhere more tangibly than along the seam where fashion and sports fuse. WNBA players are style icons in their own right, with rising stars like Angel Reese gracing the covers of fashion magazines and inking million-dollar partnership deals with brands like Nike, Puma, Adidas, New Balance, Fenty or Coach. 'In a tunnel walk, even though we're going to a game, it is work,' Dallas Wings guard DiJonai Carrington told The Athletic at AT&T All-Star Access, one of her brand events. 'When you have your meeting with your CEO and your bosses, you want to look your best. And that's how I feel every game day is: These are the CEOs, the bosses. This might be the only thing that somebody sees from you is you walking in through the tunnel, and that might be the way that you get on their radar for a deal.' Last year in particular, the fashion world sat up and took notice of the W, acknowledging that some of the most culturally consequential styles were arriving on the nontraditional runways of tunnel walks and WNBA-inspired shoes and streetwear. Reese, A'ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu aren't just WNBA All-Stars this year; they're style icons. These stars aren't just dressing to play; they're dressing to build their brands, extend their influence, connect with fans and raise the profile of their league. And there's perhaps no bigger moment this year to experience the tidal wave of style in the league than WNBA All-Star Weekend, where the league's 'Orange Carpet' on Thursday night and the tunnel walk on Saturday before the big game flowed with couture, confidence and — there's no clearer way to say it — cool. Here are our most unforgettable looks from Thursday's carpet and Saturday's tunnel. Angel Reese: 'Fashion is something I do' Reese is perhaps the first name on people's lips when it comes to the WNBA and fashion, and she has adroitly leveraged her taste into treasure. Reese is partnered with Reebok, McDonald's and Reese's. (At the tunnel walk, sponsored by Nike, Reese positioned herself to hide the giant swoosh behind her.) On the orange carpet, the former Vogue cover star cast a gravitational pull as cameras leaned in to get a shot of her ankle-length leopard-print coat-dress and Gianvito Rossi strappy heels in a look that she said was inspired by 'old money-new money' blends and Hollywood. 'It's not what you wear; it's how you wear it. My confidence is through the roof,' Reese said. 'That's what I want to encourage for young women, especially tall women. It's not easy being a tall woman. It took a long time when I was younger to be myself, but I'm her.' Her style icons? Rihanna and Teyana Taylor. A'ja Wilson: Body tea The three-time WNBA MVP and Las Vegas Aces star debuted a signature shoe with Nike earlier this year that sold out in less than five minutes. The superstar has had partnerships with brands like LEGO, Gatorade and AT&T. She was channeling Greek goddess-core drama on the orange carpet with a draped Di Petsa-designed maroon sleeveless gown and gold Saint Laurent earrings styled by Casey Billingsley. The dress was cut to reveal her leg up to the hip — for a very specific reason. 'I see a lot of people may see my leg in a sleeve,' Wilson told The Athletic. 'So now I started to switch it up this year and take my leg out of the sleeve.' She switched it up for her tunnel walk, wearing a motorsports-inspired fit, with a loose jersey top and black, white and red knee-high heeled leather boots. But the look was still giving … leg. Sabrina Ionescu: Just do it (wear a swoosh) Ionescu stepped out on the orange carpet in a custom Nike dress and tights the night before clinching the 3-point contest. Ionescu and Paige Bueckers were styled by celebrity designer Brittany Hampton. Sabrina's shoes and handbag were Jimmy Choo. Her tunnel fit was also Nike, in a tenniscore monochrome ensemble emblazoned with another sparkling swoosh. Paige Bueckers: Not a fashion rookie Bueckers is a massive favorite in the betting markets to win rookie of the year, but hitting fashion buckets is not new territory for the Dallas Wings star. The rookie was named the NIL Store's top-earning female athlete in 2024 and has partnered with brands like Nike, Verizon, Bose, CeraVe and Gatorade. Bueckers hit the orange carpet in a Marni sleeveless sweater top and pants with big, grabby graphics and colors. Her stylist, Hampton, paired the set with Prada shoes and VAVA sunglasses. Bueckers wore a check-print oversized corduroy-style button-down jacket and pants set with black loafers. Breanna Stewart: Power (nap) suit The New York Liberty star is no stranger to brand partnerships, having signed a signature shoe deal with Puma and serving as a brand ambassador for the Unrivaled league, which she co-founded with Napheesa Collier. 'Stewie' wore a silky, oversized double-breasted black Simkhai suit on the orange carpet that looked as comfy as a set of pajamas. She paired it with Prada eyewear and Marc Nolan shoes. 'I just want to be comfortable but look great,' Stewart said. Napheesa Collier: MVP Napheesa Collier is one of the league's most influential figures right now. She is the co-founder of Unrivaled, a key voice on players' current contract negotiations as a member of the Women's National Basketball Players Association executive committee — oh, and she's a huge favorite to win league MVP this year. So you could say she's good at the game. Collier clearly understood the leadership assignment in fashion this week, too. On the orange carpet, she stepped out in a jaw-dropping ensemble of sheer black lace that showed off her physique with long sheer pants under a cropped top. In an elite show of 'slideshow dressing,' where ensembles coordinate over various events, she wore a sheer black top over a black bra, menswear-inspired shorts and heels. Skylar Diggins: Multifaceted mom The Athletic asked players on the carpet to name their WNBA style icon. The most frequent responses were Skylar Diggins and Sydney Colson. On the orange carpet, Diggins wore a Cucculelli Shaheen jet-black jacket with intricate beaded embroidery and a long lace train with Nickho Rey jewelry. She followed it up with another monochrome workwear-inspired ensemble in the tunnel. (For the uninitiated, monochrome is one of the best ways in fashion to make sure you stand out in a crowd.) The light-colored trench coat and slacks were embellished with dripping pearls. Underneath, the most traditional workwear staple: a button-down. 'If I had to describe my style in three words, it'd be: What I like,' Diggins said. 'I got two little ones, so I'm always moving around. I love silhouettes, textures, layering. And then I wanted to be shiny. It's like levels to it, you know?' Nneka Ogwumike: Madam President The Seattle Storm forward and president of the WNBPA wears her confident leadership in the way she styles herself, too. 'My style is like my music, it's like my food,' Ogwumike said. 'I choose based off of what I feel like eating, what I feel like listening to, what I feel like consuming when it comes to shows, movies, reading books and podcasts. That's how I feel with my style. I'm very comfortable in my body. I love my body, and I just try my best to be versatile in how I wear my things.' She wore a bright print dress on the orange carpet that mirrored many traditional Nigerian styles and then mixed it up with animal-print patterns in the tunnel. Rae Burrell: Thrift queen! The Los Angeles Sparks' Burrell brought a serrated take on Hollywood glam in a shiny maroon trench with a faux fur collar and cuffs. A perfectly matching leather imitation bralette and woven print slacks completed the look with white heels. The real scene-stealer? Thrifting. 'I actually thrifted these pants a few years ago,' Burrell said. 'I put it on with the coat, and I was like, 'Oh, perfect.'' Sydney Colson: Standup style Colson is a style icon to her peers and a comedy icon on the internet. 'The Syd + TP Show' with Colson and Theresa Plaisance is a buddy comedy with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. Colson performed a standup comedy act during the WNBA All-Star events. She was also one of the most-mentioned style icons by her peers on the orange carpet. Colson wore a leather ensemble over a green snakeskin zip-up and white collared shirt, and she kept everyone on the orange carpet laughing through a long night. Rhyne Howard: Fire suit The Atlanta Dream guard wore a loose leather black suit with an outline of scarlet flames curling up the sides. It was somewhat reminiscent of a race car driver's fire suit, just oversized. Howard is an outspoken LEGO fan and has TikToks of unboxing LEGO Speed Champions series cars. WNBA celebrity stylist Golden put the look together. 'The piece is one-of-one,' Howard said, 'straight off the runway. It's really comfortable, and you're not gonna see this from anybody else, I can comfortably say.' Alyssa Thomas: Trash-talk, smooth walk Thomas isn't just a forward for the Phoenix Mercury; she was also voted the league's best trash-talker in The Athletic's anonymous player poll. But when it comes to fashion? Smooth is the name of the game. 'I like smooth,' Thomas said. 'Old-school smooth.' She wore a gray wool menswear suit with matching sneakers, her hair pulled back and a set of orange-lensed frames. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. WNBA, Sports Business, Culture 2025 The Athletic Media Company
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Salary structure and revenue sharing have become a hot topic in the ongoing talks, as players expressed frustration at a recent league counterproposal. Many players, however, gave a different characterization of Thursday's meeting than Engelbert. New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who is a vice president of the WNBPA, called it 'a wasted opportunity' and said there was 'fluff to start' the meeting. Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, also a vice president, said she hopes the league 'comes back quickly' so that dialogue can continue. Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike, who is the WNBPA president, said that they were 'hoping perhaps more would be yielded given the engagement.' 'We have a long way to go. We're gonna use this weekend to show our value and our worth and continue to be united because we do deserve more,' said Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, who is the first vice president of the WNBPA. 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The current CBA began in January 2020, and while it sparked several significant shifts in the league, such as groundbreaking maternity benefits and a notable jump in maximum player salaries, much has changed around the WNBA since. Just two weeks ago, the WNBA announced three expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, which are set to debut in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively. All three will enter the league at a record $250 million expansion fee. A new 11-year, $2.2 billion TV deal will also go into effect next season. Engelbert said national TV viewership is up 23 percent, attendance is up 26 percent and merchandise sales up 40 percent. Here are other things that came out of Engelbert's availability: Engelbert said the WNBA is thinking about expanding its future scheduling footprint as well as the number of games played in upcoming seasons. 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Boxing world in disbelief after Tim Tszyu quits in staggering scenes against Sebastian Fundora
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