Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles cannot afford to make any mistakes in the early rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.
No pressure.
The harsh reality of the NFL Draft is that mistakes are inevitable. In fact, if a general manager hits on just 50% of their picks—a failing grade by most standards—it’s still considered a major success.
Failure is a real possibility, especially in the first round. A quick look through NFL draft history reveals that the list of first-round busts far outweighs the success stories from the top 32 picks.
But that doesn't mean general managers are exempt from blame. If they make a clearly poor choice, the responsibility falls on them. And in the latest 2025 NFL mock draft from NBC Sports, the Bears miss the mark.
In this 2025 mock, NBC's Kyle Dvorchak sends the Bears Kelvin Banks Jr., the starting left tackle from the Texas Longhorns.
"The Bears’ 2025 offseason is all about Caleb Williams," Dvorchak wrote. "They added the wunderkind OC Ben Johnson as his next head coach and can focus on fixing the offensive line via the draft. Banks was a three-year starter at Texas and improved across the board in all three seasons, culminating in an elite 2024 that saw him concede a single sack across 15 games."
Kelvin Banks is the right position, wrong prospect for the Chicago Bears
It always happens this time of year, when prospects begin to rise or fall down the first-round board. For Banks, he's experiencing the unfortunate slide.
Despite being one of college football's most accomplished offensive linemen, Banks' film raises concerns about his ability to handle the edge in the NFL. If scouting departments share that view, he won’t be a top-10 pick. Instead, he could find himself waiting until the late teens or early 20s to hear his name called.
The Bears could realistically draft a lineman projected to play guard in the first round, but if that’s the plan, they’re more likely to select Missouri’s Armand Membou or Alabama’s Tyler Booker at No. 10 over Banks.
The Chicago Bears are a safe bet to draft an offensive lineman in the first round. I just wouldn't take this particular 2025 NFL mock draft pick... to the Bank(s).
