Chicago Sports Stuff Mailbag: Grading the Bears' 2025 NFL Draft
It's been almost a week since the NFL Draft festivities came to an end, and I haven't yet given the Bears' class an official tally. CSS Nation is irked about it, so here we are.
EVERY EMAIL that popped up in the Chicago Sports Stuff inbox this week featured a query about the NFL Draft.
Makes sense. I mean here in May, I sure as hell wouldn’t take the time to email some rando writer a question about the Blackhawks.
There was plenty of overlap in the mailbag — how many different questions can you ask about any draft in any sports? — so I narrowed it down to one…and this one covered the waterfront.
I know you gave the Bears’ pick of Colston Loveland a grade of B. (I have him an A-, so we’ll agree to disagree.) But what about the rest of their draft? Me, I’ll give it a solid B+, trending towards A-.
Chris, Chicago, IL
Being that I’m Chicago Sports Stuff’s Editor-In-Chief (and founder) (and primary writer), I reserve the right to change my mind. And that’s exactly what I did with my Loveland grade.
Round 1
Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
My initial take on Ben Johnson’s first selection as the head coach of the Chicago Bears was, “Meh.”
If Johnson and GM Ryan Poles wanted to go TE, I thought Penn State’s higher-touted Tyler Warren was the move. That said, once RB Ashton Jeanty came off the board to the Radiers at six, I was pulling for a trade down.
However, 24 hours after the pick — once I learned there were multiple teams who were trying to trade up to snag the Michigan product — and once I did a deeper dive into his tape — I rethought things.
Will the Idaho native evolve into Travis Kelce or Tony Gonzalez? Doubtful, but he has great hands, he moves exceedingly well for a 6’5”, 250-pounder, he’s tough to bring down, and he has attitude up the bazoo, the kind of Sam-LaPorta-esque guy who will thrive in a Johnson offense.
Sophomore QB Caleb Williams needs reliable weapons, and Loveland will be just that.
Grade: A-
Round 2
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
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This pick says a whole lot about Poles’ and Johnson’s draft approach: Best. Player. Available. Hard. Stop.
Burden’s production between 2023 and 2024 took a massive plunge — not his fault; Mizzou kinda stunk — thus the slide to the second round. But had he hit the draft market after his ‘23 season, he’d have been a top-ten, or possibly even top-five pick, just behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers, and slightly ahead of our very own Rome Odunze.
If Chicago were drafting for need, they’d have gone for an EDGE like Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku or Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau, both of whom have first-round talent, and both of whom who would have added depth to a thin position.
As it was, they took a potential WR1 who might, someday, be viewed as the steal of the draft.
Grade: A+
Round 2
Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College
Welcome to the “WTF Didn’t Ryan Poles Land a Top-Shelf Rookie Running Back” portion of our program.
Most of us who don’t live at Halas Hall were all but certain the Bears would snatch up an RB to either compliment or replace D’Andre Swift — especially considering the pre-draft smoke about Chicago’s apparently love for Jeanty.
Unfortunately by this point of day two, most of the top RB prospects had been scooped up, save for Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson. Thing is, Johnson was graded far lower than the 41st spot, so a trade down seemed to make perfect sense.
But not to Poles.
Instead, the former O-lineman went for a behemoth of a trench dude who, with a good training camp, might find himself as the team’s starting right tackle. (Darnell Wright, the incumbent RT, is a good soldier who seems willing to slide over to the left side of the line.)
Taking the RB situation out of the equation, this is a solid pick. But Poles gets dinged half a grade for not landing a runner and some additional draft capital.
Grade: B
Round 2
Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M
For me, this is similar to the Loveland situation in that I wasn’t super-psyched about the pick until I did some research.
Turner has speed and attitude to burn, two traits that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen seems to adore. If he can channel his aggression in a constructive manner, he could be a day-one contributor. At the very least, he’ll be a solid rotation player, and that’s what you hope for from a prospect picked at the tail end of the second round.
Grade: B+
Round 4
Ruben Hyppolite II, LB, Maryland
The Terrapin tweener was, by far, Poles’ biggest whiff.
Hyppolite was pegged as, at best, a seventh-rounder, but he’d have more likely been an undrafted free agent. Yeah, his blazing 4.39 40-yard-dash at the combine put him on maps. but he didn’t demonstrate enough at Maryland to merit a fourth-round slot.
That said, Poles, Johnson, and Allen must know something we don’t, because, as of this writing, he’s listed as a starter on multiple Bears depth charts. I doubt that’ll be the case come opening day, so it looks like Chicago got themselves a special teamer way too early in the proceedings.
Grade: D+
Round 5
Zah Frazier, CB, UTSA
First off, it’s pronounced “Zay.” Now that that’s out of the way…
Frazier’s tape is super-impressive, and, like Turner, he has traits galore — height, length, speed, that sort of thing.
The Bears are relatively stacked at cornerback, so this was, to an extent, a luxury pick…but I have a hunch it’ll be a good one.
Grade: A-
Round 6
Luke Newman, OL, Michigan State
Round six and beyond is, for the most part, a dart throw. But Newman can play all five line positions, and Chicago could make use of a young, flexible option.
If he’s even a little bit good, he could make the final 53. But, dart throw.
Grade: B-
Round 7
Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers
Poles (sort of) shut up the fan base with a potential backfield steal.
Monangai is a shorty out of the Darren Sproles/Maurice Jones-Drew mold. Worst case scenario, Johnson will utilize him as a nice change-of-pace back; best case scenario, he’ll supplant Roschon Johnson as Chicago’s RB2.
And if he’s even better than advertised, he could become David Montgomery Lite to Swift’s Jahmyr Gibbs Very Lite.
Grade: B+
The Report Card
Sometimes you get the draft you want, and sometimes you get the draft you need. A week removed from the festivities, it looks like this one’s closer the latter.
Would we have preferred to come away with Jeanty and one of the top EDGE rushers? Most of us would give that a hearty yes.
But Ben Johnson’s first draft as the Bears head coach has his fingerprints all over it. We begged the football gods to get us Johnson, and they delivered, and since we wanted him, we have to trust him.
This was a very good weekend for the improving Chicago Bears. Not great, mind you. But it’s what the Midway Monsters need.