NFL insider compares Ozzy Trapilo to former Bear and three-time Pro Bowler

When it comes to covering the Chicago Bears, there is perhaps no one better in the business than Adam Jahns. He has provided Bears fans with top-notch reporting for the last 20 years, most recently with The Athletic, though he announced earlier this week that he would be joining CHGO Bears. On Thursday morning, he joined CHGO Bears on their podcast for the first time as a team member and offered his take on the Bears' outlook heading into the 2025 season.

One thing that Jahns had to say stood out and has to be exciting for Bears fans. When talking about the competition that Chicago is likely to have for the starting left tackle job in training camp, Jahns had this to say about rookie Ozzy Trapilo: "On the field, Ozzy Trapilo looks like Kyle Long. And it's not just his number, but physically he's built like Kyle Long. He moves like Kyle Long."

Not long after the podcast, Long himself caught wind of this comparison on social media and had a one-word reaction.

It seems like eons ago at this point, but in the not-so-distant past, Kyle Long, the Bears' first-round pick in the 2013 NFL draft, was Chicago's premier pass protector. He earned Pro Bowl recognition in each of his first three NFL seasons, playing as both a guard and an offensive tackle, and was even named a second-team All-Pro in 2014. Unfortunately, a host of injuries plagued Long starting in the 2016 season and caused his early retirement in 2020, ending what could have been a much longer career as a Chicago Bear.

If Trapilo can live up to such a lofty comparison, then the Bears will have found themselves a true gem in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft. It's hard to find a franchise offensive tackle, and especially rare to find them outside of the first ten picks or so of the draft.

But before Trapilo can think about winning multiple Pro Bowl awards, he must first win the starting left tackle job in training camp, and that won't be easy when he's up against three-year veteran Braxton Jones. Keep a close eye on this position battle when training camp, Bears fans. It might be the closest fight on the entire roster.