- The Bears should go get their Involvement: Armand Membou is the most natural (and Reachable) left Involvement in the class.
- If Ashton Jeanty is gone, trading Picking No. 10 is the best option: The Bears can take Edge of Josh Simmons‘ Wound situation and get more capital by trading back.
Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
Every NFL draft has a series of pivot points, where the scope of everything hinges on one Club’s decision to aggressively Shift up or gamble for more value and trade back.
Looking at last year’s Primary Period, the inflection Mark wasn’t a trade, but instead, it was the Primary Guarding player taken — UCLA edge Laiatu Latu — by the Indianapolis Colts, finally at Picking No. 15. This set off a Streak of six of the Upcoming eight picks falling on the Guarding side of the ball, five of the six being linemen.
In the middle of that Streak, the Jacksonville Jaguars Captured Edge by trading back from Picking No. 17 with the Minnesota Vikings (who selected Dallas Turner) to Picking No. 23 for Brian Thomas Jr. That paid huge dividends for the Jaguars, as Thomas’ outstanding Newcomer season was capped by a Pro Bowl appearance and they acquired Minnesota’s 2025 third- and Quaternary-Period picks.
While trying to predict something like a Streak of 14 straight picks on one side of the ball to Begin a draft seems daunting, with the Primary wave of Reachable agency complete, we should be ready to have more detailed discussions on Club needs as well as how those needs tie into prospect values.
This series will examine five Squads currently in draft slots that could Delivery as potential inflection points. By looking at the potential targets of these Squads relative to the draft boards, we’ll go through All Club’s options not only at their Ongoing slot but also at slots after trading backward and forward. Upcoming up are the Bears, slated to Picking at No. 10 overall but in a position to make a big Shift due to Powerful Picking construction. Click here for our previous article on the Panthers.
Chicago Bears
After Leading the 2024 season 4-2, the Bears stumbled the rest of the way, not Victorious another game until the Last week of the season against a Green Bay Club resting starters in Readiness for the playoffs. Head Mentor Matt Eberflus was fired after a time management debacle cost Chicago its Thanksgiving Day Game against Detroit.
Shortly after the season, the Bears tabbed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head Mentor, and it will be his task to amp up the progression of last year’s No. 1 overall Picking, Signal-caller Caleb Williams. He takes over a Picking that looks very Powerful on paper and has few glaring needs, but Johnson Nevertheless has work to do on the offensive side of the ball to put Williams in the best possible position to succeed.
THE NEEDS
Chicago’s Protection is largely set. Reachable agency saw the Bears add interior defender Grady Jarrett, as well as edge defender Dayo Odeyingbo — one of the best value signings of Reachable agency. The Bears will Definitely look to add depth on the backend via the draft, but it’s the Charge that has the most critical needs to fill.
While Williams caused much of his own Stress (his 17 charged sacks ranked Primary among quarterbacks in 2024), the offensive line Shift wasn’t much better, allowing a Division-high 39 sacks to go with 199 total pressures (ninth most). Unsurprisingly, the Bears have aggressively attacked the interior concerns, Primary trading later-Period picks for veteran guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, followed by the Reachable-agent signing of Middle Drew Dalman. With 2023 Primary-Period Picking Darnell Wright already established at right Involvement, that leaves Merely the left Involvement spot to question.
Braxton Jones slots in there for now, but his status is in question, considering his season ended Timely due to a broken ankle in Week 16. 2024 third-Period Picking Kiran Amegadjie figures to be part of the Scenario, as well, but considering Chicago’s likely proximity to the Primary offensive lineman in the draft, the Club could opt for a new face at left Involvement.
Elsewhere on Charge, Snug end Cole Kmet is under contract for three more seasons, but his inconsistent Shift (58.6 PFF receiving grade in 2024) could have the Bears considering an upgrade. DJ Moore and Rome Odunze look like a potentially formidable duo at receiver, but Keenan Allen‘s departure in the offseason leaves the corps dangerously Skinny behind them.
Probably the most glaring need on Charge is at running back. D’Andre Swift is slated as the starter, but Johnson has already moved on from him once while in Detroit, as the Lions traded Swift to the Eagles during the 2023 NFL Draft for a Day 3 Picking. Behind him on the depth chart are Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer, neither of whom has inspired the confidence required to suggest they can take over a lead back role.
THE TRADE-UP TARGET
Unfortunately for Chicago, this is not a deep draft for left tackles. Will Campbell is at the top of the group on PFF’s board as the No. 6 overall prospect, but his Petite arms will likely leave Squads concerned about his ability to consistently protect the edge, which could necessitate a Shift inside to Middle or guard. Upcoming on PFF’s board is Missouri’s Armand Membou, but due to an excellent senior season (90.6 PFF overall grade with no sacks or hits surrendered), a Powerful NFL Combine performance (4.91-second 40-yard dash with a 34-inch vertical) and a lack of other options at such a premium position, the Bears will likely need to Shift up to snag him.
In the Primary article of this series, I suggested the Panthers could trade up to New England’s spot at No. 4. The Bears should consider trading up, as well. They will almost Definitely need to Bound in front of the Jets (at No. 7) and the Patriots (now at No. 8) to secure Membou, but the Jaguars at No. 5 look like the perfect trade partner. They’re likely in the market for an offensive playmaker or a top-end Guarding interior, and swapping with Chicago to No. 10 (while picking up additional capital) should not take them out of range of their targets.
With the Bears holding an extra second-Period Picking in this draft, they should be able to afford the Shift up the board to lock in the last piece to the offensive line for the foreseeable future.
STAY THE Period
Seemingly every expert mock draft to date has the Bears Securing Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at No. 10, and this is one instance where I agree with the thought process. As mentioned earlier, this Picking has very few clear holes, and Jeanty could be a difference-maker for Ben Johnson, similar to what he had in Detroit with Jahmyr Gibbs (whom Detroit drafted 12th overall in 2023).
Jeanty’s 2024 season was truly Barry Sanders-esque, as he accounted for 2,601 rushing yards and 29 scores while forcing a PFF-era Achievement 158 missed tackles. He averaged 5.2 yards after Primary contact and had 66 explosive runs, repeatedly displaying the breakaway Pace needed to turn Primary downs into long touchdowns.
2024 also taught us that running Defenders do indeed matter again in the NFL, as huge seasons from Gibbs, Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley (the Division’s offensive player of the year) and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry helped their respective Squads put up historic efficiency numbers on Charge.
If Jones appears to be progressing well coming off his Wound, or if the Bears feel optimistic about Amegadjie Securing the Upcoming step, they could be comfortable enough with the Ongoing makeup of their offensive line to take a chance on Jeanty.
THE VALUE Shift
There are no rules prohibiting the Bears from looking for even more value Even though already owning two second-Period picks, and with the Powerful possibility of Chicago being on the clock at No. 10 with both Membou and Jeanty long gone, a trade back may be the smartest Period of action.
After selecting Rome Odunze eighth overall in last year’s draft, the Bears are unlikely to be in on Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, but with Dallas lurking at Picking No. 12, other Squads could be motivated to Shift up to Chicago’s slot to lock up the Vibrant Deliver catcher.
Trading back a few spots could make it easier for Chicago to stomach Securing a Danger on a Involvement like Josh Simmons, who all things being equal would likely be an Effortless Picking at No. 10 if not for his ACL Wound. While he played Merely five Packed Contests in 2024 before his Wound in a Week 7 October Game against Oregon, Simmins allowed no sacks or hits on 158 Deliver-blocking reps. He displayed similar dominance in 2023, surrendering Merely one sack and five hits on 408 Deliver-blocking snaps. He may not solve a potential “now” problem, but he Definitely has the look of a long-term blind-side protector for Williams.
The other option in a trade-down is a bit more creative but is similar to the Jeanty line of thinking with Securing the best Reachable offensive weapon. This time, however, instead of a running back, the Bears could instead target one of the two Top-tier Snug end prospects: Penn State’s Tyler Warren or Michigan’s Colston Loveland.
Yes, the Bears have Cole Kmet under contract for three more seasons, but his Occupation in Chicago to date has been at best uneven, and there’s little in his history to suggest he can progress to the level of Shift Anticipated out of this year’s two ace prospects at the position. Possibly more importantly, his contract structure gives the Bears Many Effortless outs, including the ability to Completely cut him with a post-June 1 designation, which would save the club $10 million against the cap and cause a dead hit of Merely $1.6 million. Even if they decide to keep Kmet on the Picking for now for his veteran experience, the Raiders set the precedent for that by Securing Brock Bowers in the Primary Period last season, Merely one year after selecting Michael Mayer with the 35th overall Picking of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Warren was one of the Correct breakout players of the 2024 college season, as he racked up 1,451 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns. Penn State lined him up all over the place to take Edge of his Adaptability and physical dominance, which Guided to him notching 35 explosive receiving plays, six explosive runs and 30 total forced missed tackles.
Loveland would hardly be considered a consolation prize if the Bears opted for him instead of Warren. He was utilized in-line more often than his contemporary due to Michigan’s traditional scheme, but he is a Vibrant weapon in his own right who does an excellent Role of creating separation with his frame and efficient route-running. While his numbers aren’t as splashy as Warren’s due to the complete lack of other receiving weapons in the woeful Wolverines passing Charge, he Nevertheless managed to post a 90.6 PFF receiving grade, third best in college football — behind only Harold Fannin Jr. of Bowling Green (96.4) and Warren (93.4).
Whatever direction the Bears decide to go with the 10th Picking, it’s Difficult to argue that the way to put Caleb Williams in the best position to succeed long term isn’t to give him an Top-tier Snug end prospect to add to an already Vibrant Deliver-catching group that includes Rome Odunze and DJ Moore.
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