The Chicago Bears have already made plenty of moves this NFL offseason. Bears head coach Ben Johnson is shaping the roster in his image with the goal of maximizing QB Caleb Williams. Chicago does not invest in its offensive line in Mel Kiper's latest 2025 NFL mock draft.

Kiper paired the Bears with Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams in the first round.

“Williams is a toolsy prospect who can beat blockers with his speed or power,” Kiper wrote. “He missed time with an ankle injury early last season but still picked up five sacks. Given a little more time to develop, he could be a really solid NFL edge rusher.”

Chicago already added to the defensive line in free agency. However, Kiper thinks there's still plenty of room for improvement.

“While the Bears also added Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett on the defensive front, they could still use someone like Williams coming off the edge,” Kiper added. “They ranked in the middle of the pack last season in sacks (40) but were 24th in pass rush win rate (36.5%).”

This would be a surprising change of strategy for the Bears, who have previously been linked to offensive linemen in the draft. However, Kiper wanted to shake things up after the Bears traded for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed Drew Dalman in free agency.

It would not be surprising to see the Bears continue to bolster their offensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft, even after those trades.

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Caleb Williams NFL Draft first overall pick
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The Bears know that protecting Caleb Williams is a huge priority.

Bears guard Jonah Jackson admitted as much in a recent interview with ESPN.

“You'd seen what happened last year,” new Bears offensive lineman Jonah Jackson said, per ESPN. “He'd taken a lot of hits. You got to build confidence in a young guy like that, in any quarterback, honestly. I feel like that's something we're able to bring to the table.”

Thankfully, Chicago's front office seems determined to give Williams every chance to succeed during the 2025 season.

“Everyone is excited about where Caleb can go,” Bears GM Ryan Poles added. “We all know that there's a lot of growth that has to happen to get him to where he needs to be. But that excitement in terms of what he can be obviously helps get other coaches and players excited to be here and work with him and help get him to where he needs to be.”

It will be interesting to see which players the Bears add around Williams in the 2025 NFL Draft next month.