one of the best scheme fits of the draft<\/a>. Based on conversations with league sources, the Bears were far from the only team that had Loveland ahead of Warren \u2014 not necessarily by a lot, but it wasn\u2019t a one-off. This is a reminder of the difference: the connection with Johnson. Loveland was the tight end he felt best fit his offense.<\/p>\nSome of the criticism for the Bears\u2019 draft is more about whom they didn\u2019t draft than who they did. Poles didn\u2019t select a running back until Round 7. He didn\u2019t take an edge rusher \u2014 though defensive tackle Shemar Turner has versatility. No safety was selected, either.<\/p>\n
When breaking down the players the Bears did draft, each one\u2019s skill set fits nicely with what Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen want to do. None of the top four picks was considered a \u201creach,\u201d though that can be a flawed analysis when we don\u2019t know how NFL teams stack these players.<\/p>\n
From a media perspective, Burden may be the Bears\u2019 best value pick. A receiver whom many pegged as a Round 1 talent was available at No. 39. He also happens to play the slot, where the Bears have an opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas a good player in \u201923,\u201d another opposing offensive assistant coach said. \u201cCan make you miss. Will be solid in the slot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The personnel evaluator was also bullish on the former Missouri Tiger, saying, \u201cBurden is a baller. Fast, explosive.\u201d<\/p>\n
When a player with Burden\u2019s talent level slips to Round 2, there are going to be questions. League sources didn\u2019t get into specifics, but it\u2019s clear there\u2019s a curiosity about whether or not Burden is one of those boom-or-bust prospects. That\u2019s where the Bears hope wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El will make an impact.<\/p>\n
A wide receiver coach told Feldman that Burden is \u201cdefinitely the best with the ball in his hands\u201d of the receiver class, adding, \u201cHe\u2019s not that polished, but I do think he\u2019s shown enough. He\u2019s so dynamic, special. I think he needs to work on his practice habits and things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bears got their offensive tackle with Boston College\u2019s Ozzy Trapilo, who earned the label of \u201csteady\u201d from those who watched him. \u201cTechnician\u201d is the word we heard often from Poles, and something Trapilo prides himself on.<\/p>\n
Turner got a whole section in Feldman\u2019s draft confidential. Check out this quote from a defensive line coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might\u2019ve been a first-rounder if he was in last year\u2019s class,\u201d he told Feldman. \u201cHe plays with such an edge. He\u2019s a f\u2014ing a\u2013hole. I like his position flex. He can bounce out there and play edge, can kick him to the three(-technique), kick him to the nose. Watch the tape, he\u2019s the best one from A&M. Holy s\u2014, this fool is coming off the ball. Walter Nolen\u2019s the most explosive, hands down, but he\u2019s not far from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Brugler\u2019s report, a scout told him, \u201cHe\u2019s the type you want on your side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skill set-wise, one scout said Turner is \u201ccompact and tough to move. A good interior D-lineman.\u201d<\/p>\n
One opposing defensive assistant coach liked Turner and said the Bears\u2019 second-rounder showed \u201cgood first-step quickness.\u201d Another opposing defensive coach said he loved Turner, who will benefit from getting to work with veterans Grady Jarrett and Andrew Billings.<\/p>\n
Handwringing over Day 3 picks can be a fruitless exercise. The hit rate on players drafted in Rounds 4-7 is not high. Finding dependable players who could be starters one day is a goal. Those picks shouldn\u2019t define a class immediately.<\/p>\n
Linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, for example, wasn\u2019t on many media draft boards, but that doesn\u2019t mean the Bears were the only ones who had him in Round 4. His speed is off the charts for his position, and we know Allen values that.<\/p>\n
There was one Day 3 pick who elicited outside praise \u2014 Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai. While that still shouldn\u2019t reflect the entire class, it\u2019s noteworthy. Seventh-round picks aren\u2019t often talked about like Monangai has been.<\/p>\n
\u201cSolid all around,\u201d said the opposing offensive assistant coach. \u201cRuns hard, protects, never fumbled, can catch. Wouldn\u2019t be surprised if he plays a lot there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The personnel evaluator went as far as saying Monangai is a \u201cpoor man\u2019s (David) Montgomery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood contact balance,\u201d he said. \u201cTough to bring down. Lacks burst and top-end speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monangai had back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons at Rutgers. His combine performance didn\u2019t wow anyone with measureables, but his tape caught the eye of evaluators. We\u2019ll see if the Bears add a free-agent back at some point, but Monangai seems to have a chance to compete with Roschon Johnson to be D\u2019Andre Swift\u2019s complement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good pick that late for them,\u201d the coach said.<\/p>\n
The 2025 draft class started and ended with Big Ten players who have a lot of fans in the scouting and coaching community. It doesn\u2019t mean the Bears\u2019 rookies will be memorable. The franchise\u2019s recent draft history isn\u2019t great, but it just takes one.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2025 The Athletic Media Company. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by New York Times Licensing.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1746130210_681_\")
<\/p>\n
\n Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a football game against Akron on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers won 49-17 (AP Photo\/Vera Nieuwenhuis)
\n AP\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tight end Colston Loveland, the Chicago Bears’ first round draft pick, 10th overall, speaks during an NFL football…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[391,769,7,6,15,767,9,770,771,4394],"class_list":{"0":"post-16062","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"tag-chicago-bears","9":"tag-content-providers","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-nfl-draft","13":"tag-pro-sports","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-sports-leagues","16":"tag-sports-types","17":"tag-the-athletic"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114434397109285215","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}