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The Chicago Bears welcomed eight new players to their roster this weekend during the 2025 NFL draft, including some impact players in tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and defensive tackle Shemar Turner.
While it’s far too early to start evaluating general manager Ryan Poles’ fourth draft class before they’ve even hit the field, we’re taking an early look at this 2025 draft class, which has the potential to be an impactful one in the long run -- especially with their four selections in the first two rounds.
Here’s a round-up of all of our grades for each of the Bears’ eight selections in the 2025 NFL draft.
Taking a tight end with a top-ten pick is a bit of a luxury, especially for a team that still has questions at offensive and defensive line. Still, in a draft with limited stars, Loveland has the potential to shine. It could take some time as he gets acclimated to an offense that has a few mouths to feed, but the upside is intriguing. If the Bears can shore up the trenches during Day 2, the pick will look even better.
Loveland is an incredibly smooth route runner for someone at his size and position. He's the polar opposite of where Cole Kmet was coming out of college five years ago, granted they are two different types of tight ends. Loveland has strong hands and doesn't rely on his body to come down with catches. He was able to line up inside and outside, going toe-to-toe with cornerbacks and beating them off the line of scrimmage. It's rare for college tight ends to have that type of skill set this early in their careers.
Johnson's experience with tight ends also bodes well for Loveland. The new Bears head coach was the tight ends position coach starting out in the league and had a big hand in selecting Sam LaPorta two years ago with the Lions. Some analysts even have LaPorta as Loveland's comp at the NFL level, which makes sense for Johnson.
Taking a tight end with a top-ten pick is a bit of a luxury, especially for a team that still has questions at offensive and defensive line. Still, in a draft with limited stars, Loveland has the potential to shine. It could take some time as he gets acclimated to an offense that has a few mouths to feed, but the upside is intriguing. If the Bears can shore up the trenches during Day 2, the pick will look even better.
Grade: B+
This pick really came out of left field. Perhaps the Bears were set on running back TreVeyon Henderson, who went one pick ahead of them to the New England Patriots, and they couldn't pass up the opportunity to stack their receiver room. Or all of the smoke surrounding the running backs was to shift attention away from Burden. However they landed on him, Chicago is getting a talented pass catcher.
Many boards had Burden as the second-best true receiver behind Tetairoa McMillan, and many expected him to be a mid-to-late first-round pick a few weeks ago. Burden is an excellent receiver with the ball in his hands, with the ability to earn plenty of yards after the catch. He can stop on a dime, break free of tacklers, and be a threat to make plays deep thanks to his 4.41 40-yard-dash speed. Burden can even carry the ball, rushing nine times for 115 yards and two scores in 2024. The man can seemingly do it all.
The best part of bringing Burden aboard is that he gets to learn from Moore, someone who has a similar skillset and has been utilized in a similar fashion, as well as Antwaan Randle El, who developed Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit. It's a fantastic situation for him. Snagging Burden also gives Johnson a plethora of opportunities to move guys around, create mismatches, and keep the defense on their toes with the versatile options they have as receiving options. The Bears have an abundance of riches, and Moore is the oldest one of all of them at just 28 years old.
Burden is phenomenal, but it's fair to wonder if the Bears should have drafted for need instead. Offensive line and defensive line still needed help, and running back is thin, too. It's a valid argument, and building a franchise from the outside in is risky. But when a gifted playmaker like Burden falls in your lap, sometimes you have to take him and figure out the rest later.
There are many new faces on offense at pretty much every position. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for this group to jell and build chemistry together. When that happens, though, this could be the best offense the Bears have ever had. It's up to Johnson and Williams to get them there. The pieces are falling into place, however, and Burden could be their jack-of-all-trades.
Grade: A-
When looking at the board entering Day 2, it was clear that the options at offensive tackle were limited. The best available player was Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery, who went to the Houston Texans at pick No. 49. Clearly, Chicago felt they could move down from No. 41 with the Bills and still get someone they covet at the position later on.
Selecting Trapilo is reminiscent of the Kiran Amegadjie pick from a year prior. Both players are athletic freaks with favorable measurables who could also use some refining entering the pros. The difference with Trapilo is that he's fully healthy and should have a legitimate opportunity to compete for a starting job at some point.
The biggest advantage Trapilo has is his size. He's one of the tallest players in the entire draft, and with his size and strength, he's able to hold down defenders right in front of him. Trapilo does seem to struggle with lateral quickness and speed at the jump, which could get him exposed against smaller, faster edge rushers at the pro level. He also plays with his pads high, another part of his game that could get taken advantage of by veteran players.
You can see his potential, though, and the fact that Trapilo has experience on both sides of the line is very beneficial to this team. The line combinations were numerous last season due to a variety of reasons, so having someone like Trapilo who can play on the left and right sides will prevent a lot of headaches from happening.
Overall, it's a fine pick. Trapilo doesn't look like he will be a stellar tackle for years to come, but a quality one instead. He may also look drastically different after the coaching staff gets to work with him.
Grade: C+
It's always good to see a team invest high picks in the offensive and defensive lines, and after the Bears found a couple of playmakers early on, they went to work finding potential impact players. At first blush, the Turner selection didn't necessarily move the needle. There were seemingly other players who may have had more of an impact that were available, like Darius Alexander or Omar Normann-Lott. Or even an edge like Landon Jackson.
Still, Turner satisfies a need, and he provides plenty of versatility, which should be music to Allen's ears. The Bears can get creative with him on the line and move players around to create the right mismatch. Turner's best attributes are his motor and aggression, as well as using leverage to his advantage against blockers to be a disruptor. He doesn't necessarily blow up plays, but he slows them down considerably and uses that motor to clean up at or near the line of scrimmage.
The biggest concerns with Turner are his injury history and temper. Turner played the entire season with a stress fracture in his shin, which goes to show how tough he is and that his 2024 season probably would have looked even better had he been fully healthy. That's also concerning, though. Stress fractures could be problematic, and Bears fans know all too well how they can impact promising draft picks. Hopefully there is no further concern and Turner can reach his potential, but it's something to monitor.
Then there's Turner's temper. The defensive lineman runs hot and has put his team in tough positions with some of his unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Most notably, Turner punched an opponent in the groin during a 2023 game, which caused him to be ejected. That energy will need to be channeled towards play on the field. Fortunately, Turner will have strong leaders like Grady Jarrett to lean on who can show him the ropes.
If Turner heals quickly and can channel his aggression into plays from whistle to whistle, this could turn out to be a very nice pick as the Bears look to fortify their defensive line. NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Turner to Baltimore Ravens star Nnamdi Madubuike, showing just what his ceiling can be if he reaches it. We'll see how quickly he gets adjusted and how his shin holds up.
Grade: B
It seemed as if the Bears were targeting a running back early in the fourth round before two went off the board, and they decided to trade down. The decision to do so made sense, but the player they used the pick on is a head-scratcher. By all accounts, Hyppolite was a priority undrafted free agent, or someone who could have been had near the end of the draft. Replacing Jack Sanborn, an undrafted free agent, with a fourth-round pick feels like a mistake.
The good news is Hyppolite has rare speed, something Sanborn or fellow backup linebacker Noah Sewell do not have. He will make an impact on special teams and could see snaps on defense at some point. It's just that it feels like a reach. NFL general managers know things that draft analysts don't, but it's hard to think there were teams chomping at the bit to draft Hyppolite before the sixth round. We have seen this story before with players like Joel Iyiegbuniwe, who was a fine special teams player yet was drafted earlier than he should have been.
If Hyppolite becomes a heat-seeking missile on special teams and defense, this pick will look a lot better. Having the chance to learn from Tremaine Edmunds and especially TJ Edwards is a big positive for him. With the players and coaches he'll have, perhaps they can hone his raw ability and refine his technique. As of now, though, it's a reach.
Grade: D
Getting a tall and fast cornerback who produced on the field in the fifth round is a pretty good move. Cornerback is a position that you can never have too much depth, and Frazier's skillset stands out. He has excellent closing speed, and his length allows him to make plays on the ball that other cornerbacks can't. The Bears are betting on Frazier's traits, and at this point in the draft, why not?
The major concerns with Frazier are his age (he will be 25 in the fall), he spent just one season as a starter, and he faced lower competition for the most part while at UTSA. When he and the Roadrunners squared off against Texas, they allowed Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning to put up 427 passing yards and 56 points. As the season went on, though, Frazier's play improved, and he began stacking up turnovers and pass breakups. All of Frazier's picks and pass breakups came after Week 4, when conference play began. He takes chances and can make up the ground when facing poor quarterbacks. He will need to tighten up when going against better competition at the NFL level.
The Bears have done fairly well finding defensive backs late in the draft. Terell Smith in 2023, Elijah Hicks in 2022, and even Kindle Vildor in 2020 were all productive players at certain points. Taking a shot on Frazier makes sense, and he should help increase the competition at outside corner with Smith and Tyrique Stevenson.
Grade: B
This feels like the Doug Kramer pick from three years ago if Kramer showed promise of playing multiple positions in college and was a little bigger. Having that type of versatility on the offensive line is key, and it's fair to wonder where the Bears might want to put Newman. They could keep him at guard or work him in as a backup center behind Drew Dalman. Interestingly enough, that would put Kramer's job in jeopardy.
Newman showed he can hold his own against top competition. He's going to be facing more Grahams and Grants at the NFL level. He is very athletic, keeps his pads low, and could surprise as a depth player.
Grade: C
General manager Ryan Poles waited until the seventh round to select a running back in one of the deepest classes in recent memory. While it would have been nice if the Bears had nabbed one of the Day 2 or even early Day 3 running backs, Monangai at least has shown plenty of production and can earn the chance of becoming the thunder to D'Andre Swift's lightning.
Monangai's production was consistent while at Rutgers, averaging 5.0 and 5.2 yards per carry in 2023 and 2024, respectively. He also has never lost a fumble, which is arguably his best trait coming into the NFL. We'll see where he winds up on the depth chart and if the Bears opt to add another veteran at some point, but Monangai has a chance to show something in a fairly thin running back room. It's not the pick Bears fans were hoping to see at running back when the draft started, but it's something.
Grade: B
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Grading every Bears pick
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While it’s far too early to start evaluating general manager Ryan Poles’ fourth draft class before they’ve even hit the field, we’re taking an early look at this 2025 draft class, which has the potential to be an impactful one in the long run -- especially with their four selections in the first two rounds.
Here’s a round-up of all of our grades for each of the Bears’ eight selections in the 2025 NFL draft.
Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan (Round 1, Pick 10)
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Taking a tight end with a top-ten pick is a bit of a luxury, especially for a team that still has questions at offensive and defensive line. Still, in a draft with limited stars, Loveland has the potential to shine. It could take some time as he gets acclimated to an offense that has a few mouths to feed, but the upside is intriguing. If the Bears can shore up the trenches during Day 2, the pick will look even better.
Loveland is an incredibly smooth route runner for someone at his size and position. He's the polar opposite of where Cole Kmet was coming out of college five years ago, granted they are two different types of tight ends. Loveland has strong hands and doesn't rely on his body to come down with catches. He was able to line up inside and outside, going toe-to-toe with cornerbacks and beating them off the line of scrimmage. It's rare for college tight ends to have that type of skill set this early in their careers.
Johnson's experience with tight ends also bodes well for Loveland. The new Bears head coach was the tight ends position coach starting out in the league and had a big hand in selecting Sam LaPorta two years ago with the Lions. Some analysts even have LaPorta as Loveland's comp at the NFL level, which makes sense for Johnson.
Taking a tight end with a top-ten pick is a bit of a luxury, especially for a team that still has questions at offensive and defensive line. Still, in a draft with limited stars, Loveland has the potential to shine. It could take some time as he gets acclimated to an offense that has a few mouths to feed, but the upside is intriguing. If the Bears can shore up the trenches during Day 2, the pick will look even better.
Grade: B+
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri (Round 2, Pick 39)
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This pick really came out of left field. Perhaps the Bears were set on running back TreVeyon Henderson, who went one pick ahead of them to the New England Patriots, and they couldn't pass up the opportunity to stack their receiver room. Or all of the smoke surrounding the running backs was to shift attention away from Burden. However they landed on him, Chicago is getting a talented pass catcher.
Many boards had Burden as the second-best true receiver behind Tetairoa McMillan, and many expected him to be a mid-to-late first-round pick a few weeks ago. Burden is an excellent receiver with the ball in his hands, with the ability to earn plenty of yards after the catch. He can stop on a dime, break free of tacklers, and be a threat to make plays deep thanks to his 4.41 40-yard-dash speed. Burden can even carry the ball, rushing nine times for 115 yards and two scores in 2024. The man can seemingly do it all.
The best part of bringing Burden aboard is that he gets to learn from Moore, someone who has a similar skillset and has been utilized in a similar fashion, as well as Antwaan Randle El, who developed Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit. It's a fantastic situation for him. Snagging Burden also gives Johnson a plethora of opportunities to move guys around, create mismatches, and keep the defense on their toes with the versatile options they have as receiving options. The Bears have an abundance of riches, and Moore is the oldest one of all of them at just 28 years old.
Burden is phenomenal, but it's fair to wonder if the Bears should have drafted for need instead. Offensive line and defensive line still needed help, and running back is thin, too. It's a valid argument, and building a franchise from the outside in is risky. But when a gifted playmaker like Burden falls in your lap, sometimes you have to take him and figure out the rest later.
There are many new faces on offense at pretty much every position. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for this group to jell and build chemistry together. When that happens, though, this could be the best offense the Bears have ever had. It's up to Johnson and Williams to get them there. The pieces are falling into place, however, and Burden could be their jack-of-all-trades.
Grade: A-
Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College (Round 2, Pick 56)
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When looking at the board entering Day 2, it was clear that the options at offensive tackle were limited. The best available player was Minnesota's Aireontae Ersery, who went to the Houston Texans at pick No. 49. Clearly, Chicago felt they could move down from No. 41 with the Bills and still get someone they covet at the position later on.
Selecting Trapilo is reminiscent of the Kiran Amegadjie pick from a year prior. Both players are athletic freaks with favorable measurables who could also use some refining entering the pros. The difference with Trapilo is that he's fully healthy and should have a legitimate opportunity to compete for a starting job at some point.
The biggest advantage Trapilo has is his size. He's one of the tallest players in the entire draft, and with his size and strength, he's able to hold down defenders right in front of him. Trapilo does seem to struggle with lateral quickness and speed at the jump, which could get him exposed against smaller, faster edge rushers at the pro level. He also plays with his pads high, another part of his game that could get taken advantage of by veteran players.
You can see his potential, though, and the fact that Trapilo has experience on both sides of the line is very beneficial to this team. The line combinations were numerous last season due to a variety of reasons, so having someone like Trapilo who can play on the left and right sides will prevent a lot of headaches from happening.
Overall, it's a fine pick. Trapilo doesn't look like he will be a stellar tackle for years to come, but a quality one instead. He may also look drastically different after the coaching staff gets to work with him.
Grade: C+
Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M (Round 2, Pick 62)
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It's always good to see a team invest high picks in the offensive and defensive lines, and after the Bears found a couple of playmakers early on, they went to work finding potential impact players. At first blush, the Turner selection didn't necessarily move the needle. There were seemingly other players who may have had more of an impact that were available, like Darius Alexander or Omar Normann-Lott. Or even an edge like Landon Jackson.
Still, Turner satisfies a need, and he provides plenty of versatility, which should be music to Allen's ears. The Bears can get creative with him on the line and move players around to create the right mismatch. Turner's best attributes are his motor and aggression, as well as using leverage to his advantage against blockers to be a disruptor. He doesn't necessarily blow up plays, but he slows them down considerably and uses that motor to clean up at or near the line of scrimmage.
The biggest concerns with Turner are his injury history and temper. Turner played the entire season with a stress fracture in his shin, which goes to show how tough he is and that his 2024 season probably would have looked even better had he been fully healthy. That's also concerning, though. Stress fractures could be problematic, and Bears fans know all too well how they can impact promising draft picks. Hopefully there is no further concern and Turner can reach his potential, but it's something to monitor.
Then there's Turner's temper. The defensive lineman runs hot and has put his team in tough positions with some of his unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Most notably, Turner punched an opponent in the groin during a 2023 game, which caused him to be ejected. That energy will need to be channeled towards play on the field. Fortunately, Turner will have strong leaders like Grady Jarrett to lean on who can show him the ropes.
If Turner heals quickly and can channel his aggression into plays from whistle to whistle, this could turn out to be a very nice pick as the Bears look to fortify their defensive line. NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Turner to Baltimore Ravens star Nnamdi Madubuike, showing just what his ceiling can be if he reaches it. We'll see how quickly he gets adjusted and how his shin holds up.
Grade: B
Ruben Hyppolite II, LB, Maryland (Round 4, Pick 132)
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It seemed as if the Bears were targeting a running back early in the fourth round before two went off the board, and they decided to trade down. The decision to do so made sense, but the player they used the pick on is a head-scratcher. By all accounts, Hyppolite was a priority undrafted free agent, or someone who could have been had near the end of the draft. Replacing Jack Sanborn, an undrafted free agent, with a fourth-round pick feels like a mistake.
The good news is Hyppolite has rare speed, something Sanborn or fellow backup linebacker Noah Sewell do not have. He will make an impact on special teams and could see snaps on defense at some point. It's just that it feels like a reach. NFL general managers know things that draft analysts don't, but it's hard to think there were teams chomping at the bit to draft Hyppolite before the sixth round. We have seen this story before with players like Joel Iyiegbuniwe, who was a fine special teams player yet was drafted earlier than he should have been.
If Hyppolite becomes a heat-seeking missile on special teams and defense, this pick will look a lot better. Having the chance to learn from Tremaine Edmunds and especially TJ Edwards is a big positive for him. With the players and coaches he'll have, perhaps they can hone his raw ability and refine his technique. As of now, though, it's a reach.
Grade: D
Zah Frazier, CB, UTSA (Round 5, Pick 169)
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Getting a tall and fast cornerback who produced on the field in the fifth round is a pretty good move. Cornerback is a position that you can never have too much depth, and Frazier's skillset stands out. He has excellent closing speed, and his length allows him to make plays on the ball that other cornerbacks can't. The Bears are betting on Frazier's traits, and at this point in the draft, why not?
The major concerns with Frazier are his age (he will be 25 in the fall), he spent just one season as a starter, and he faced lower competition for the most part while at UTSA. When he and the Roadrunners squared off against Texas, they allowed Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning to put up 427 passing yards and 56 points. As the season went on, though, Frazier's play improved, and he began stacking up turnovers and pass breakups. All of Frazier's picks and pass breakups came after Week 4, when conference play began. He takes chances and can make up the ground when facing poor quarterbacks. He will need to tighten up when going against better competition at the NFL level.
The Bears have done fairly well finding defensive backs late in the draft. Terell Smith in 2023, Elijah Hicks in 2022, and even Kindle Vildor in 2020 were all productive players at certain points. Taking a shot on Frazier makes sense, and he should help increase the competition at outside corner with Smith and Tyrique Stevenson.
Grade: B
Luke Newman, OG, Michigan State (Round 6, Pick 195)
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This feels like the Doug Kramer pick from three years ago if Kramer showed promise of playing multiple positions in college and was a little bigger. Having that type of versatility on the offensive line is key, and it's fair to wonder where the Bears might want to put Newman. They could keep him at guard or work him in as a backup center behind Drew Dalman. Interestingly enough, that would put Kramer's job in jeopardy.
Newman showed he can hold his own against top competition. He's going to be facing more Grahams and Grants at the NFL level. He is very athletic, keeps his pads low, and could surprise as a depth player.
Grade: C
Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers (Round 7, Pick 233)
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General manager Ryan Poles waited until the seventh round to select a running back in one of the deepest classes in recent memory. While it would have been nice if the Bears had nabbed one of the Day 2 or even early Day 3 running backs, Monangai at least has shown plenty of production and can earn the chance of becoming the thunder to D'Andre Swift's lightning.
Monangai's production was consistent while at Rutgers, averaging 5.0 and 5.2 yards per carry in 2023 and 2024, respectively. He also has never lost a fumble, which is arguably his best trait coming into the NFL. We'll see where he winds up on the depth chart and if the Bears opt to add another veteran at some point, but Monangai has a chance to show something in a fairly thin running back room. It's not the pick Bears fans were hoping to see at running back when the draft started, but it's something.
Grade: B
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Grading every Bears pick
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