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Entering 2025, the Chicago Bears are an intriguing team. They've had another strong offseason, stringing together their third in a row. Well, it's only the start of their offseason, as they still have yet to make roster cuts, sign key free agents, and partake in the 2025 NFL Draft. That means Bears fans are hard at work, creating the perfect mock drafts that make their team a Super Bowl contender overnight.
However, after hiring Ben Johnson as their new head coach, Bears fans saw this offseason as a win already, regardless of what's to follow.
As a team that's had offseason success not translate to the football field, this is a pivotal year for the Bears.
With Johnson at the helm, will the Bears be ready to dominate the 2025 season, or will they remain in hibernation since 1985?
Bears' biggest needs: OG, EDGE, OC, DT, OT
The Bears are a team that has key pieces in important spots. They have the quarterback, an offensive tackle in Darnell Wright, and important pieces on defense.
However, they also have holes within their roster that caused the Bears to finish 5-12 in 2024.
But, what are the pieces they need, exactly? Great question.
If there's one thing the Bears must do this offseason, it's attack the trenches. Their interior offensive line is arguably the worst part of their roster, while their defensive front isn't far behind.
So, when looking at what the Bears could — or should — do, it's addressing the offensive and defensive line.
With Teven Jenkins expected to hit the open market, the Bears have two guards to replace in 2025, making that portion of their offensive line the most important to address in the offseason.
Trey Smith is seemingly the Bears' top free agent target in the 2025 offseason, making for one of their interior offensive line positions. But, that leaves the other guard position, as well as center.
And alongside Montez Sweat — who was a bit lackluster after signing a massive four-year, $98 million contract in 2023 — the Bears' pass rush simply hasn't been good enough.
But, Sweat could see improved production under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
However, that leaves another edge position in charge of creating disruption on the other side, which the Bears didn't really have in 2024.
Chicago drafted Austin Booker in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and some thought he could be an immediate producer under former head coach Matt Eberflus.
That wasn't exactly what happened, as Booker appeared in small spurts during his rookie season, ending the year with just six pressures, one-and-a-half sacks, and one quarterback hurry.
So, going into the 2025 NFL Draft, they must attack the trenches aggressively.
Without further ado, here's how the Bears' 2025 NFL Draft class looks using the PFN Mock Draft Simulator, which includes the added level of mid-draft trades.
The PFN Mock Draft Simulator (with trades) is a tool for fans to put themselves in the seat of a general manager for an NFL franchise during the NFL Draft. This tool compiles data from PFN's NFL Draft big board and user-submitted mock drafts to give fans an idea of where prospects could land in the actual draft. A computer simulation made these picks and trades.
Bears No. 10 pick: Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama
Even if the Bears acquire Trey Smith in free agency, Tyler Booker out of Alabama would be a great pick for Chicago.
Some fans can claim it's too high of a pick for an interior offensive lineman, but offensive guard is becoming an incredibly important part of an offensive line.
Tyler Booker is a 1st round guard pic.twitter.com/C5ctxN8TXO
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) July 28, 2024
Especially for a team with talented players across the roster, pick No. 10 would be good enough value to splurge on arguably the best interior lineman in the 2025 NFL Draft.
And while the Bears could trade back and still possibly get Booker, the risk of missing out on him by adding some capital wouldn't be worth it if I were Chicago's general manager.
But that's because of how dominant Booker is.
Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 325 pounds, there won't be many players on the opposite side of the ball that can beat him one-on-one.
As a two-year starter for Alabama — and a team captain — Booker proved to be an absolute mauler in the middle of their offensive line.
Whether it's a pass or run, Booker dominates the person in front of him.
He can be a little sloppy at the point of attack, but in the secondary phases of his blocks, he's a truly dominant lineman.
And with Caleb Williams wearing 68 sacks in his rookie season, protecting him is in Johnson's blueprint for the 2025 season.
Although the value at pick No. 10 could be too rich for Booker in the eyes of some, that won't be the case when he's a pillar of the Bears' offensive line for years and years to come.
Bears No. 39 pick: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
After a slam dunk of a pick in the first round, Ryan Poles and the Bears follow it up with another great selection in Mike Green out of Marshall.
Now, before anything else is said about this pick, Green could be a first-round prospect.
As one of the top edge rushers in the 2025 NFL Draft, it would take a lot for the Bears to land Green in the second round. He could even be their pick at No. 10.
However, the PFN Mock Draft Simulator made this pick, and that's that.
As a prospect, Green ticks many boxes that draft evaluators are looking for.
Dove into @Mikegreen42021 tape this afternoon and was not disappointed.
Scary combo of speed, strength and explosion with a high motor that has a bag of moves and is a plus run defender. This guy’s got “it” pic.twitter.com/drR4A05f53
— Brady Penn (@bradypenn21) February 20, 2025
Through the film I've watched on Green, he's like watching an overly hyper kid put on football pads and told to tackle the quarterback no matter what.
At times he's a bit wild and wicked with his movement, but his effort on the field cannot be denied.
Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 248 pounds, Green is — technically — on the smaller side, though not by much.
With the speed and power he brings to the field, his size likely won't be a problem at the NFL level.
Now, there are character concerns with Green as a prospect.
After beginning his college football career with Virginia, Green was reportedly no longer with the team with little information on why. With a lot of the information on the reasoning behind this decision missing, it's hard to say how serious those concerns are.
But, when looking at his tape as a football player, Green is wickedly talented.
Whether he makes it to pick No. 39, however, isn't too likely.
Bears No. 41 pick: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
After the PFN Mock Draft Simulator drafted Booker in the first and Green in the second, the Bears landed another incredible prospect in Kenneth Grant from Michigan.
Although Mason Graham is one of the top defensive linemen in the class, Grant might not be too far behind.
And they both played for the same team. Wild.
Now, looking at Grant, he's another player who might not actually make it to this pick. Similarly to Mike Green, the Bears could even select Grant with their first-round pick.
It might be smarter to trade down a few picks in the first round to draft Grant, but he's that good. It's probably a pipe dream to imagine him in Chicago, but that's what the mock draft simulator predicted.
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The 2025 NFL Draft is loaded with quality defensive tackles, and Grant is near the top of that list.
Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 340 pounds, he's an absolute beast of a man.
And while he's a gargantuan man at 340 pounds, his size doesn't affect his playing speed one bit.
Kenneth Grant is a MENACE at the center of a defense.
He constantly draws double teams but has still managed 8 sacks, 50 pressures, and 39 run stops in the last two seasons.
He’s all of 6’3, 342lbs and is an INCREDIBLE athlete at that size. Could end up a top 10 pick. pic.twitter.com/ugjrmahM6Z
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 31, 2025
The former Michigan Wolverine is an alpha athlete at the point of attack. He utilizes top-end strength and elite athleticism to be a true game-wrecker, which should translate to the NFL.
Even as the No. 2 defensive tackle behind Graham, Grant finished his three seasons with 69 tackles (36 solo, 33 assisted), 12 tackles for loss, 10 passes defended, six-and-a-half sacks, three fumble recoveries, and one interception.
So, although his production was a bit outshined by his counterpart at Michigan, there's little reason to believe Grant wouldn't be an impressive NFL defensive tackle.
With Dennis Allen running the Bears' defense in 2025, Grant would pair perfectly alongside Gervon Dexter Sr., who saw increased production in 2024.
But — again — this could be one of those picks that the simulator might've gotten slightly wrong, as Grant could end up a first-round pick.
Bears No. 72 pick: Omarion Hampton, HB, North Carolina
Although it isn't listed as a top need for the Bears in 2025, they could use a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft.
And in this mock draft — simulated by PFN — the Bears get one of the more intriguing running backs in 2025: Omarion Hampton.
He isn't Ashton Jeanty, but Hampton should be considered one of the top running backs in the class.
Similarly to defensive tackle, the 2025 NFL Draft has loads of running back talent, and the Bears should take advantage of that.
D'Andre Swift and new Bears head coach Ben Johnson don't have the best history together from their time in Detroit, meaning he could be off the roster in 2025.
It isn't overly likely that they just flat-out cut him, but a possible draft-day trade could be something the Bears do with Swift.
Even if they don't touch Swift, Chicago's running back room isn't necessarily what most people would call elite.
After Swift, the Bears' room looks like this:
- Roschon Johnson
- Travis Homer
- Darrynton Evans
And although my bio on X includes “RB1schon truther,” he might not be able to lead the backfield on his own.
However, if the Bears wanted their own version of Sonic and Knuckles, Hampton could play the Sonic role, while Johnson could be Knuckles.
Looking at Hampton as a prospect, it seems like the school he attended is why he isn't higher on big boards.
North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton is a rugged runner with some of the best contact balance in the class. Immediate impact RB.
Hampton had the second-most rushing yards after contact in the country last season (1,222). pic.twitter.com/15dS7TEVkm
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) February 21, 2025
As a player with as much production as Hampton's had over his last two seasons with North Carolina, it's mind-blowing to think he'd be available in the third round.
2023: 13 games, 253 carries, 1,504 rushing yards, 15 rushing TDs, 29 receptions, 222 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
2024: 12 games, 281 carries, 1,660 rushing yards, 15 rushing TDs, 38 receptions, 373 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs
Considering his abilities as a high-end dual-threat running back, he would be a great fit into Johnson's offense with the Bears. And if he's available at this pick — which isn't incredibly likely — Chicago would be foolish not to add him to their running back room.
Bears 3-round mock draft simulation grade: A
Wrapping up the results of the PFN Mock Draft Simulator, this would be a nearly perfect start to the 2025 NFL Draft, earning the Bears an A.
And with Ian Cunningham interviewing for the Jacksonville Jaguars' open general manager position, the Bears could gain even more picks, due to the compensatory picks formula.
With these first four picks, the Bears addressed their offensive line, edge rusher, defensive line, and running back.
Sure, some could claim they don't need a running back, but in a draft with so many talented running backs, many teams will try adding a cheap rusher to their offense.
Considering all the hubbub about running back contracts a few years ago, teams are learning that an elite run game might be helpful to their offensive production.
Who would've known?
Well, the Philadelphia Eagles could be one of the teams, as their free agency addition of Saquon Barkley is a strong reason why their offense hummed as well as it did.
But, with this being a three-round mock draft done by a simulation, it's not the most likely outcome of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Bears fans hoping to see this mock draft play in 2025 could be in for a bit of disappointment at the end of April.
If this is how the draft truly began, however, Bears fans would be losing their mind.
