The most challenging part of NFL Draft season is here. It's the long wait between the end of all the pre-draft events (all-star games, NFL Combine, and college pro days) and the start of the first round.
Chicago Bears fans may find these next three weeks especially excruciating. The Bears are a wildcard in the first round and have quickly become one of the most challenging teams to project. General manager Ryan Poles can go in just about any direction with the 10th pick, thanks in large part to the roster upgrades he made via trades and in 2025 free agency.
But that won't stop me from taking a swing at a three-round Chicago Bears mock draft. This isn't my final Bears draft projection, but with the information I have with less than three weeks until the 2025 NFL Draft, this certainly qualifies as a best guess.
First, some background on this mock draft.
I used the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator. In this simulation, the following players were selected with the first nine picks: 1) Cam Ward - Titans, 2) Shedeur Sanders, Browns, 3) Abdul Carter - Giants, 4) Will Campbell - Patriots, 5) Mason Graham - Jaguars, 6) Travis Hunter - Raiders, 7) Tyler Warren - Jets, 8) Armand Membou - Panthers, and 9) Jahdae Barron - Saints.
Regardless of what you think of who went where in that cluster of nine picks, it's a reasonable projection for the prospect pool that the Bears could be looking at when they're on the clock.
Now, for the Bears mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 10: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
This pick was easy. The top two offensive linemen are off the board, and while I'm a firm believer that Poles will stick with the offensive line in the first round, it's with the expectation that Membou or Campbell slides to the 10th pick. In this mock draft, neither do, and the surprise player left on the board is Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty would be a force multiplier on offense for Chicago. He'd take pressure off of Caleb Williams as a three-down feature back who'd command defensive attention. As a result, passing windows would get wider, and Ben Johnson could work his magic.
Jeanty would immediately unseat D'Andre Swift as the feature back and would become the second-most important player on Chicago's offense.
Round 2, Pick 39: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
If you're one of the many Bears fans who want the team to focus on the offensive line early in the NFL Draft, you'll like this pick. Aireontae Ersery is an athletic left tackle who projects as a quality starter in the NFL. His ceiling his higher than Braxton Jones', and with Jones still on a long road to 100 percent recovery from his leg injury in December, there's a good chance Ersery would step in right away as the Bears' starter in 2025. That's great value in Round 2.
Round 2, Pick 41: JT Tuimoloau, Edge, Ohio State
We stick with the trenches in the second round but flip to the defensive side of the ball with JT Tuimoloau, an exciting butt-kicker from Ohio State. Tuimoloau had a breakout season in 2024, finishing with a career-high 12.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. I have a hunch he might sneak into the first round, but if he lasts until No. 41 overall -- as he did in this mock draft simulation -- the Bears will waste no time gobbling him up. Tuimoloau, Montez Sweat, and Dayo Odeyingbo would turn what was a weakness on the Bears' defense in 2024 into a significant strength in 2025.
Round 3, Pick 72: Alfred Collins, iDL, Texas
Yep, another trench player, and this time, I went for a guy who reminds me an awful lot of Akiem Hicks. Alfred Collins is a big dude at 6-foot-6 and 332 pounds. He has the frame to erase inside running plays and the athleticism to penetrate and disrupt a passing game's rhythm. I'm a lot higher on Collins than his consensus ranking, and if he slides to No. 72 overall, he'd represent incredible value. Collins has the physical skills to immediately factor into a defensive tackle rotation that already features Gervon Dexter, Grady Jarrett, and Andrew Billings.
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