3 way too early Bears targets for 2025 NFL Draft
12/19/2024 12:02 AM
It doesn’t feel too early to start talking about the NFL Draft for the Chicago Bears. This is a 4-10 team that’s riding a devastating eight-game losing streak. Their rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams, has been beaten up all year —he’s been sacked more than any other quarterback in the league. He’s also watched his offensive coordinator get fired, followed by his head coach, in an embarrassing fashion.
The Bears may have something in Williams to build off of — he’s thrown for 2,937 yards and 17 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions — but general manager Ryan Poles still has a ton of building to do. Because of the way the Bears got the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 (via a 2023 trade for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick with the Carolina Panthers), it was assumed that this Chicago team was further ahead than the typical franchise that ends up with the top pick in the draft.
The Bears aren’t the worst team in the league. So, give them credit for that. They could be the stumbling and bumbling Los Vegas Raiders or the seemingly perpetually lost New York Giants (as of late, at least).
Right now, the Bears first-round pick is projected to be No. 9 overall. That’s not factoring in these final few weeks of football or any trades that could take place because we know Poles is not afraid to wheel and deal. We’re also assuming Poles is still the guy once the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around. That is not a given. The Bears are 14-34 overall in his tenure, and they’ll be looking for a new head coach for 2025. He may get swept out in the pursuit of a “new era.”
No matter who is drafting for the Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft, though, these three players would be tremendous targets.
Guard: Tyler Booker, Alabama
The Bears have been a mess on the offensive line all season, as the sack numbers against Williams suggest. Chicago could use some fresh blood on the interior of the offensive line. Drafting an IOL is even more important when considering the free agency situation. Guards Tevin Jenkins and Matt Pryor will both be free agents, as will be swing interior lineman Doug Kramer.
A serious boost of talent is needed on the interior of the offensive line. If there’s a franchise that knows that it’s important to win down in the trenches, it would be Chicago.
As such, guard Tyler Booker, out of Alabama, would be a fantastic first-round pick for the Bears. There used to be a time when taking a guard in the Top 10 of the draft would be shunned, but we’ve seen in recent years what a star guard can do for an NFL offensive line. Just look at what Quenton Nelson means for the Indianapolis Colts, and they took him No. 6 overall in 2017.
Check out the comparison. Nelson checks in at 6-foot-5, 330 pounds. Booker checks in at 6-foot-5, 325 pounds.
Booker started 11 games at left guard for the Crimson Tide in 2024 and one at left tackle, so he is versatile. He was also a permanent team captain for Alabama, so he’ll bring leadership to the table in Chicago.
Offensive Tackle: Will Campbell, LSU
The Bears may not be in range to get Will Campbell out of LSU depending on how his testing goes in the combine, but if there’s a way they can swing it — or he falls to them — he would have to be the pick for Chicago. Protecting Williams has to be Chicago’s top priority at the top of the NFL draft, and Campbell is as good as they get.
He checks in at 6-foot-6, 323 pounds, and he’s a consensus first-team All-American. He was a three-year starter at left tackle for LSU. Campbell started in all 38 games in which he appeared for the Tigers.
He is the type of player the Bears can sharpie in at either tackle spot for the next 10-to-15 years.
Defensive Line: Mykel Williams, Georgia
You’ve got to give the Georgia Bulldogs some credit. Kirby Smart has not only built a championship program in Athens but he’s also built a factory for defensive prospects in the NFL Draft.
Mykel Williams looks to be amongst the next of the great Georgia defenders to enter the NFL ranks. He’s a 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive lineman who is versatile enough to play anywhere along the defensive line. He’s notched 15 tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles for the Bulldogs this season. That includes two sacks in the SEC Championship Game against Texas.
Williams has game-wrecker written all over him as an NFL defensive line prospect. He would help the Bears re-establish the defensive identity they’ve always been known for.
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