ESPN NFL analysts Field Yates and Mina Kimes joined forces on X to breakdown the Chicago Bears options in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the conclusion was simple: GM Ryan Poles and the Bears are one of the most intriguing teams in Round 1.
Check it out:
Using the super cool Draft IQ tool on NFL.com, Yates and Kimes combed through the Bears' first-round options, which, essentially, are endless.
"You see four position groups that are actually about equal, which is very unique," Kimes said of the potential Bears' draft targets. "Running back at the top, then offensive line, defensive line, and tight end, all within range of each other."
This has become the prevailing theme for Chicago in the weeks leading up to the 2025 draft, which is why projections for their first-round pick have included players like Will Campbell (OT, LSU), Kelvin Banks Jr. (OT, Texas), Ashton Jeanty (RB, Boise State) and Tyler Warren (TE, Penn State). Even Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan) is building momentum.
Both Yates and Kimes agreed that Jeanty would be the Bears' pick if he's on the board at No. 10 overall, but the recent news cycle suggests there's little to no chance that he will be. The Jacksonville Jaguars have suddenly become Jeanty's most likely destination at No. 5 overall, which means it would take a significant first-round slide for the former Boise State star to fall to Chicago.
If Jeanty does, in fact, get picked before the Bears are on the clock, both Yates and Kimes agreed that Warren would likely be Chicago's next choice, but a trade out of No. 10 overall is also a possibility.
Yates outlined general manager Ryan Poles' trade history as evidence that Chicago is more likely to trade down than up.
"The Bears have traded down five times in Ryan Poles' years as the general manager and have traded up just twice in that same span," Yates said. "He's 17th among general managers in terms of trading up, he's eighth among general managers in terms of trading down."
I've been saying for quite some time that the only thing we know about the Chicago Bears' 2025 NFL Draft plan is that we know nothing at all. It makes the process fun and unique. It isn't very often that a team picking in the top 10 can go in a variety of directions; the Bears' first-round pick truly unpredictable.
The Bears hold four selections in the first three rounds at Nos. 10, 39, 41, and 72.
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