We’ll share your grades for the Chicago Bears players and overall class on Monday, but we wanted to share what some publications had to say about the 2025 haul of players picked by general manager Ryan Poles. In case you missed it, or in case you need a refresher, here’s Chicago’s entire 2025 draft class.
First round: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Second round: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Second round: Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College
Second round: Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M
Fourth round: Ruben Hyppolite II, LB, Maryland
Fifth round: Zah Frazier, CB, Texas-San Antonio
Sixth round: Luke Newman, OL, Michigan State
Seventh round: Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers
Here are some grades from around the internet, along with my thoughts after the last one.
Chicago’s dream offseason continues. Loveland is a dynamic receiver who I’ve compared to Darren Waller, and he’ll be an outstanding fit for the Sam LaPorta role in Ben Johnson’s offense. And the Bears went right back to searching for playmakers from there. Burden is one of the most explosive pass-catchers in this class, Trapilo could push Braxton Jones for a starting job at tackle before long, and Turner’s a powerful interior lineman with the traits to become a three-down player with some more development. It would have been nice to see the Bears make a big move at running back earlier, but Monangai is a fascinating sleeper. The Rutgers product is an extremely physical runner who also plays with impressive lateral quickness. He could be a productive early-down runner behind this new-look offensive line.
- NFL.com B+
Loveland is a talented player, but we’ll see over the next couple of years whether fellow tight end Tyler Warren, who went four picks later, would have been the better selection at No. 10. I expect Burden to be a stud in Chicago, where he’ll team up with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. The Trapilo and Turner picks addressed needs, even if the team might have jumped the board a bit for them.
Hyppolite was picked a bit earlier than I expected, but he has the quickness and toughness to make an impact on special teams defense. Frazier’s a bit of a project in the fifth round, but he did intercept six passes last season. Newman could contribute at guard or tackle. Monangai could prove to be the best value of all these picks.
- CBS Sports B+
General manager Ryan Poles appears to be in lock-step with new head coach Ben Johnson, as the Bears drafted two matchup nightmares in the first two rounds in Loveland and Burden. Trapilo is an athletic grinder and Turner adds pass-rushing depth — plus upside — on the interior of the defensive front, which was needed.
The Hyppolite pick felt forced. The Frazier selection made up for it, because he has elite-level upside as an outside, playmaking cornerback. Poles understood the assignment — foster an even better environment for Caleb Williams, keep the offensive line deep and add pieces to the defense. Smart draft.
Loveland — This pick shows that first-year head coach Ben Johnson already has his fingerprints on Chicago’s team-building philosophy. Pairing Loveland with Cole Kmet gives the Bears significant personnel flexibility. Loveland is a polished receiving tight end and ranked in the 96th percentile in receiving yards per route run at the position this past season. Caleb Williams now has plenty of weapons to work with in D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, Kmet and Loveland.
Burden — Chicago is doing everything in its power to set Caleb Williams up for success, giving him two pass-catching weapons with their first two selections. Burden wasn’t able to match his 2023 production (1,212 yards and nine touchdowns) last year at Missouri, but he still has a strong case for being the most dangerous wide receiver in this class after the catch (third among Power 4 wide receivers in yards after the catch over the last two seasons).
Trapilo — Trapilo started at left tackle for Boston College in 2022 before becoming the right tackle in 2023 and 2024. Trapilo brings massive length and size to the position and has NFL bloodlines with his father playing in the NFL. He allowed just two sacks the past two years with an 80.5 pass blocking grade in 2024.
Turner — Turner graded better in 2023, which is the same thing that can be said about that entire Texas A&M defensive line. Boasting a 76.6 overall PFF grade in 2023, Turner has positional versatility, as he played all along the defensive spots in college. Turner plays with a high-motor and has active hands, and his 7.9% run-stop rate was a bright spot in 2024.
Hyppolite — Hyppolite îs a fast but undersized linebacker. He logged 425 career special teams snaps, and that is likely where he will feature for the Bears.
Frazier — Frazier enjoyed a breakout year in 2024, posting an 85.9 PFF overall grade in his first season as a full-time starter in college. He was tested 38 times in coverage, allowing just 18 catches while picking off six balls and forcing eight incompletions.
Newman — After two FCS All-American seasons at Holy Cross, Newman was able to make a smooth transition to the Big Ten. Despite the jump in competition, Newman was up to the challenge, as he didn’t have a single game where his PFF grade went below 60.0.
Monangai — Monangai almost seeks out defenders in his run style, gaining 862 rush yards after contact in 2024. In 2023, Monangai earned an excellent 92.5 PFF overall grade, though he came back down to earth in 2024 with a 77.3 mark.
Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears’ front office hit the offensive side of the ball early and often in this draft. This didn’t come as a major surprise since new head coach Ben Johnson is offensive-minded. The Bears’ offense struggled during Caleb Williams’ rookie season, and they made it a point to put more talent around him heading into Year 2.
Colston Loveland bolsters Chicago’s passing attack and has the tools to be an instant upgrade over Cole Kmet. Johnson worked his magic with Sam LaPorta in Detroit, and it would be unsurprising to see him have similar success with the explosive Loveland. Speaking of explosiveness, Luther Burden III offers plenty of it. The former Missouri star was one of the most dangerous playmakers in this class, and he could be a dynamic WR3 behind D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze in this offense.
After a strong free agency that bolstered their interior offensive line, Chicago added an athletic offensive tackle with starter upside. Ozzy Trapilo profiles as insurance for Braxton Jones in the short term, but he could eventually replace him.
Shemar Turner and Zah Frazier were good value picks in Rounds 2 and 5, respectively. The Turner selection further reinforces the Bears’ plan to solidify the interior of the defensive line. He offers long-term upside and immediate depth behind Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr. Frazier doesn’t come from a Power 5 program, but the cornerback checks a lot of the boxes that teams covet – size, speed, ball production, and scheme versatility. He was easily their best Day 3 pick, as the others come with question marks about their potential at the next level.
All in all, the Bears got better in certain spots, but they didn’t leave the back end of the draft with a ton of value.
- USA Today B-
GM Ryan Poles, who’s known for his aggressive maneuvers, continues to build out the support system for second-year QB Caleb Williams. But did Poles hit the optimal notes? Time will tell if first-round TE Colston Loveland was the correct choice over Warren. Poles also stood pat at No. 39 and wound up with WR Luther Burden III, who loosely compares to Deebo Samuel, but Chicago missed out on what appeared to be this draft’s top running back prospects. Poles did wind up with three stabs in Round 2, and DT Shemar Turner might have been the best of the trio (OT Ozzy Trapilo being the other).
The Bears have received a ton of praise for loading up on weapons for Caleb Williams, but it’s tough to trust this team after how badly they flopped last season with a bad offensive line. Yes, Chicago now has guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, as well as center Drew Dalman, but Jackson was benched by the Los Angeles Rams last season and Braxton Jones might not be the answer at left tackle. Chicago got complacent and waited too long to continue building the offensive line. But if the revamped offensive line pans out, Williams could have plenty of success throwing to Loveland and Burden next season. New coach Ben Johnson has the weapons to form a creative playbook in Chicago.
After failed attempts to trade up, the Bears took Loveland over consensus No. 1 TE Tyler Warren. Did they panic? Going back to receiver after 2024 first-rounder Rome Odunze was strange, too, though Burden is more of a Deebo Samuel-type. An offseason-long offensive makeover continued.
Okay, I need to address this one… Ryan Dunleavy wrote the New York Post’s grades article, and I’ll be honest, I’m not familiar with his work, so I have no idea how reliable his sources are. But I’m not sure about the “failed attempts to trade up” thing. That seems like some speculation based on the bogus rumors that were swirling pre-draft. Especially after NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that several teams tried to jump the Bears to draft Loveland. In this case, I trust Rap over Ryan.
Here are a few more!
Top needs entering the draft: Edge rusher, running back, defensive tackle and tight end
Credit Bears general manager Ryan Poles for addressing his team’s biggest need — before the draft. The trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson weren’t too costly, though Poles gave $28 million guaranteed to free agent center Drew Dalman. Chicago is now clearly better along the offensive line — quarterback Caleb Williams had to run for his life at times in 2024. He was sacked 68 times, which tied for the third most by any QB since sacks were first tracked in 1963, per ESPN Research.
Those moves meant the Bears had options at No. 10 overall and didn’t need to force more offense. But Poles was leaving no doubt this offseason. The Bears took tight end Colston Loveland, who has seam-stretching ability and had nine TD catches over the past two seasons. New coach Ben Johnson comes from Detroit, where he had Sam LaPorta heavily involved in the pass game. Now, he will have Loveland and Cole Kmet at the position. Chicago would have loved it if Ashton Jeanty fell to No. 10 to jump-start the run game — and I prefer Tyler Warren among the tight ends in this class — but Poles is clearly doing whatever is necessary to get Williams where the Bears need him.
But he wasn’t done. Luther Burden III is an explosive after-the-catch merchant who will join a solid receiver room. Ozzy Trapilo could see work at left tackle, with Braxton Jones working back from an ankle injury. Seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai might not be Jeanty, but he ran for 1,200-plus yards in back-to-back seasons and has some of the best ball security among the class’ RBs. Luke Newman is probably moving inside to center behind Dalman.
But where are the pass rushers? The Bears’ edge defenders had a pass rush win rate of 10.2%, which was the third worst in the NFL last season. Shemar Turner is versatile, but he’s primarily an interior defensive lineman. He’ll join Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr. there. I was thinking we might see at least one edge rusher among the Bears’ eight picks.
That was enough to knock Chicago down to a B+. Otherwise, I was a fan of its picks, which seem very centered on elevating Williams’ game in 2025.
- FOX Sports A-
Given the way that Sam LaPorta helped the Detroit Lions the past two seasons, few know better than new Bears head coach Ben Johnson the immediate impact a playmaking tight end can make. While I was slightly surprised to see Colston Loveland drafted ahead of Tyler Warren, the former is actually a better schematic fit for the Bears given that the club already boasts a quality dual-purpose tight end in Cole Kmet, allowing Loveland to play more of the “big receiver” role.
I liked the Bears’ selection on Thursday, but I loved their picks on Friday. Wide receiver is not a position I expected them to focus on early, but Luther Burden III is the best receiver after the catch in this draft and will make their offense (and special teams) instantly more explosive. Similarly, I like the pro-readiness and nastiness that fellow second-rounders Ozzy Trapilo and Shemar Turner provide. Of the Bears’ Day 3 picks, I’m most intrigued by the upside of UTSA cornerback Zah Frazier, who offers many of the traits that have helped Tariq Woolen — another former fifth-round pick — emerge as a starter for the Seahawks.
- The Ringer A-
The team grabbed Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with their first pick, ostensibly with visions of turning him into Brian Johnson’s new version of Sam LaPorta. And if you squint, it’s not too hard to picture their second-round selection—Missouri’s Luther Burden III—playing the role of Amon-Ra St. Brown over the middle, where his play strength and run-after-the-catch talent can be featured. Chicago added depth and developmental upside with the selection of Boston College tackle Ozzy Trapilo, while their first defensive pick, Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner, brings some tenacity and power to the defensive front. Overall, I like that Chicago made Williams’s development a focus—and both Loveland and Burden should be on the field very early on.