Caleb Williams Is Going To Be In The MVP Conversation; ESPN Predicts

The Chicago Bears reinvented themselves this offseason. Before heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, Bears’ new head coach Ben Johnson invested in the teams offensive line so that they would be in a position to use a premiere pick on a premiere talent.

The team used each of their first three picks on the offensive side of the ball and that was enough for Dan Graziano to throw the sophomore quarterbacks name in the hat for MVP conversations.

“The goal is clearly to make life easier for Williams as he continues to develop, and to find a way to challenge for a playoff spot in the league’s toughest division,” wrote Graziano. “And while the presence of the Lions, Vikings and Packers in their division might well prevent the Bears from being that (division champs), if they improve enough to contend for a playoff spot, it’ll probably be because Williams and all of those offensive targets have lit up the scoreboard week in and week out.”

After selecting ESPN’s second rated tight end and a top five wide receiver, Graziano provided an update on what Ben Johnson’s offense will bring to the table.

“The Bears’ offense already had talented pass-catching options in wide receivers D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze, tight end Cole Kmet and running back D’Andre Swift, and the first two rounds of this draft brought them tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III. For good measure, they used the second of their two second-round picks on offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo,” Graziano recapped.

Johnson Didn’t Forget About The Defense

It’s easy to get caught up in the whirl wind of weapons touching down in the windy city, but after a flurry of offensive selections, Johnson and the Bears rattled off three defenders in a row.

The first of the three is Texas A&M’s defensive tackle Shemar Turner, who was the last of three second round selections the Bears made. Todd McShay is very high on the speedy defender who’s frame lends to versatile defensive fronts.

“Turner played in multiple spots at A&M but is very clearly suited to be a one-gap penetrator as a 1-technique (firing through the A gap) and 3-technique (firing through the B gap),” McShay wrote on his website. “He has a slight frame and won’t hold his ground enough against double-teams, but his combination of lightning-quick hands, fast eyes to locate the ball, long arms, big hands for his frame, and relentless motor will be appealing for a one-gap-heavy defensive scheme. I really like this guy in the correct scheme fit!”

The next Bears selection didn’t come until very late in the 4th round when the team selected an off-the-ball linebacker from Maryland, Ruben Hyppolite II. They finished with the lightning fast six-foot-three corner from UTSA who finished last season tied for the most interceptions in the country, Zah Frazier.

Can’t Impress Everyone

The lengthy list of big name prospects wasn’t enough to impress the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy who awarded the Bears a post draft grade of C+.

“After failed attempts to trade up, the Bears took Loveland over consensus No. 1 TE Tyler Warren. Did they panic? Going back to receiver after 2024 first-rounder Rome Odunze was strange, too, though Burden is more of a Deebo Samuel-type,” Dunleavy wrote. “An offseason-long offensive makeover continued.”