7-round Bears Mock Draft: Chicago passes on a top offensive lineman on opening night but still lands top protection for Caleb Williams
The Chicago Bears are in full offseason mode and the first order of business is finding the team's next head coach, then deciding which free agents to bring back and which outside options to bring in.After that, the 2025 NFL Draft comes into the picture, even though the front office has already spent months evaluating […]
The Chicago Bears are in full offseason mode and the first order of business is finding the team's next head coach, then deciding which free agents to bring back and which outside options to bring in.
After that, the 2025 NFL Draft comes into the picture, even though the front office has already spent months evaluating top prospects. For fans, once the offseason hit, it's draft season and mocks drafts are always a big craze.
Here's my first crack at how I think the Bears' 2025 draft could play out, starting with a surprise pick many are thinking could be off the board by the time the Bears are up.
10th Overall Pick: Abdul Carter – DE Penn State
That's right, I'm not going with an offensive lineman with the Bears' top pick. Instead, I'm rolling with the best player on the board in Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.
It's already a long shot that he could be available at 10, but if he falls to this pick, the Bears can't afford to pass on a talent like Carter. Everyone right now is grilling the Bears for passing on Jalen Carter and moving back to take Darnell Wright, making a move like this would quiet that crowd down.
Pairing Carter with Montez Sweat would give the Bears two explosive and highly-productive pass rushers off the edge. In 2024, Carter set career-highs in sacks (12.0) tackles for a loss (24) and total tackles (68). You have to draft a guy like that if you can.
39th Overall Pick (via CAR): Tyler Booker – OG Alabama
After passing on offensive line help, the Bears can secure a future left guard in Tyler Booker to replace Teven Jenkins, who seems likely to find a new home in free agency.
Booker would be a much more reliable option at the position after playing 38 games over the last three seasons. In 2024, Booker allowed just 10 pressures and zero sacks on 395 pass blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus.
At the other guard position, I could see the Bears bringing in a top free agent such as Trey Smith while also bringing back Matt Pryor and having Ryan Bates as depth pieces.
41st Overall Pick: Jared Wilson – C Georgia
Same thing goes at center, the Bears are likely going to have to replace Coleman Shelton, the only member of the front who started all 17 games in 2024. While Shelton's availability was reliable, his pass protection was far from it.
Adding a guy like Jared Wilson in the second-round would give the Bears an immediate upgrade at the position for years to come. Dating back to 2021, Wilson has only allowed one sack and became the full-time starter during the 2024 season.
Georgia has produced an insane number of high-level talent in the trenches over the last few years and it's about time the Bears get in on the action.
72nd Overall Pick: T.J. Sanders – DT South Carolina
This pick would give the Bears' fans déjà vu from the 2023 NFL Draft where general manager Ryan Poles drafted South Carolina defensive tackle Zacch Pickens in the third round. Things unfortunately aren't looking good for Pickens after being a healthy inactive for the final two games of his sophomore season.
Maybe the Bears try again with one of Pickens' former teammates in T.J. Sanders, who is coming off another strong season for the Gamecocks. Sanders racked up 4.0+ sacks in each of the last two seasons and 17 tackles for a loss.
Pairing Sanders next to Gervon Dexter and rotating with Andrew Billings could give the Bears what they hoped they would get by drafting Pickens two years prior.
147th Overall Pick: Jaylin Noel – WR Iowa State
The need for drafting a wide receiver depends on what happens with Keenan Allen, but even if the veteran returns, the team really needs another option in the room.
Tyler Scott looked to be that guy during the summer but once the season rolled around he was never used and Deandre Carter is set to be a free agent. What the offense really needs is a downfield threat if the incoming coach plans to use DJ Moore as a catch-and-run guy again in 2025.
Enter Jaylin Noel, the man who scored four touchdowns of 25+ yards during the 2024 season for Iowa State. He would be the perfect option to replace, or learn from, Allen in the slot for the Bears' offense.
193rd Overall Pick (via PIT): Tahj Brooks – RB Texas Tech
Adding another back to the room needs to be one of the team's top priorities this offseason. Stat-wise, D'Andre Swift was really solid during his first season in Chicago but the film shows he's not the guy who should handle 250+ carries.
There's some options in free agency the Bears could pursue and even some names at the top of the draft that certain fans are obsessed with (Ashton Jeanty). But a more reasonable option for the Bears would be Tahj Brooks.
Brooks rushed for 1,500+ yards over the last two seasons and had 280+ carries in each season. Only six other RBs in the FBS had more rushing yards than Brooks during the 2024 season and landing him here would be a bargain for Chicago and would give the team a solid one-two punch to maximize Swift's big play ability.
233rd Overall Pick (via CIN): Nick Martin – LB Oklahoma State
Linebacker depth could be a sneaky need for the Bears if they lose Jack Sanborn and Amen Ogbongbemiga in free agency. If that's the case, the team would only have Noah Sewell behind Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, and he's someone the previous coaching staff never showed much trust in.
Nick Martin would be an easy upgrade over Sewell and could play that Sanborn role on defense behind Edmunds and Edwards. However, the Oklahoma State defender only played five games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
But, in 2023, Martin led the conference with 140 tackles as a sophomore, which ranked sixth in the entire country. Despite his injury concern from this season, Martin believes that he is ready for the next level, but it could drop his stock quite a bit.
240th Overall Pick: Dan Jackson – S Georgia
This would be quite the story for Dan Jackson, who's already had one of the best stories in college football. This guy wasn't even recruited by Kirby Smart at Georgia but joined the program as a scout player and worked his way up into a starting role.
Coming off a season where he recorded a career-high 68 tackles, Jackson declared for the draft with high praise backing him up.
Jackson is a high-level competitor and a coach's dream to have in the locker room. If he starts falling late into the draft, the Bears should definitely give him a look.
