The Chicago Bears had a successful draft class in 2025.

Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, Ozzy Trapilo and Kyle Monangai carved out starting roles in just their first year with the franchise. It’s no wonder the Bears’ draft class was given the highest grade from NFL.com.

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Many things have changed since last offseason, but some things still remain the same.

The Bears are now trying to find a way to sustain their success after reaching the postseason for the first time since 2020 and winning their first division title since 2018. Chicago even won a playoff game for the first time since 2010.

The Bears have turned things around, but still have some work to do if they want to stay on this upward trajectory.

After Trapilo appeared to the Bears’ answer at left tackle, he suffered a patellar injury in the playoffs and is expected to miss most of next season. Even when Trapilo is back healthy, there’s no guarantee he’ll be the Bears’ solution at left tackle, putting this team in a spot reminiscent of the beginning of the 2025 season.

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Chicago also said goodbye to Assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham, as he is now the GM of the Atlanta Falcons. Cunningham had been with the franchise since the beginning of the Ryan Poles era in 2022.

The Bears hired Jeff King, who has been with the team since the Ryan Pace era, to be their next Assistant GM. King started in the Bears’ personnel department. He played tight end in the NFL from 2006-2012 for the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals.

The team held its predraft press conference on Tuesday, with King answering questions from the media. King was asked about his goal for the 2026 NFL Draft.

He was all about fostering competition among the team.

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“Create competition for the roster, create hard decisions that we have to make come the start of the season,” King said. “We’ve got to add guys to our building that compete daily. That’s our goal.”

Chicago has the No. 25, No. 57, No. 60, No. 89, No. 129, No. 239 and No. 241 picks in the draft.

The Bears have needs at edge rusher, safety, left tackle, defensive tackle and many others heading into Thursday.

The consensus for the Bears at No. 25 seems to be a defensive player, such as an edge rusher or defensive lineman. This makes sense, considering the lack of a pass rush the Bears had outside of Montez Sweat.

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Even though Sweat had 10 sacks, the team struggled and finished 22nd in the NFL with 35.

Chicago also had a problem with stopping the run, allowing the sixth-most rushing yards per game in the league last season.

There’s no doubt that this draft is going to be one of the most important of the Poles era. If the Bears can get it right, it could lead to sustained success for many years to come.