{"id":6384,"date":"2025-04-28T07:26:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T07:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/6384\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T07:26:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T07:26:08","slug":"experts-hand-out-final-grades-for-chicago-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/6384\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts hand out final grades for Chicago Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 NFL draft<\/a> is officially in the books, and the Chicago Bears emerged with some potential elite skill players<\/a> and players who could develop into long-term contributors.<\/p>\n

While this draft class might lack the flare of last year’s — mainly because of quarterback Caleb Williams and receiver Rome Odunze — the Bears added some playmakers on both sides of the ball who could develop into cornerstones. For general manager Ryan Poles and company, it was all about going with the best players available.<\/p>\n

“Our goal was to really lean on the board,” Poles said. “We put a lot of time into it. We wanted it to really speak to us. I talked about that over the last two days, not forcing really anything for need, but really just taking the best guys. And we just keep adding that to the roster to increase competition and to make our football team better and I thought we were able to do that.”<\/p>\n

When you look at the top of the draft for Chicago — notably tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III — you get a sense of the offense that head coach Ben Johnson is building as both Loveland and Burden should be immediate contributors.<\/p>\n

Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Bears’ draft class from various media outlets, where experts agreed Chicago was among the biggest winners.<\/p>\n

USA Today: B-<\/p>\n

USA Today’s Nate Davis<\/a>: “GM Ryan Poles, who\u2019s 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\u2019s 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).”<\/p>\n

NFL.com: B+<\/p>\n

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter<\/a>: “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\u2019ll team up with\u00a0DJ Moore\u00a0and\u00a0Rome 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.”<\/p>\n

ESPN: B+<\/p>\n

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.<\/a>: “The Bears took tight end\u00a0Colston 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\u00a0Sam LaPorta\u00a0heavily involved in the pass game. Now, he will have Loveland and\u00a0Cole Kmet\u00a0at the position. Chicago would have loved it if\u00a0Ashton Jeanty\u00a0fell to No. 10 to jump-start the run game — and I prefer\u00a0Tyler Warren\u00a0among the tight ends in this class — but Poles is clearly doing whatever is necessary to get Williams where the Bears need him.<\/p>\n

But he wasn’t done.\u00a0Luther Burden III\u00a0is an explosive after-the-catch merchant who will join a solid receiver room.\u00a0Ozzy Trapilo\u00a0could see work at left tackle, with\u00a0Braxton Jones working back from an\u00a0ankle injury. Seventh-rounder\u00a0Kyle Monangai\u00a0might 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.\u00a0Luke Newman\u00a0is probably moving inside to center behind Dalman.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0Shemar Turner\u00a0is versatile, but he’s primarily an interior defensive lineman. He’ll join\u00a0Grady Jarrett\u00a0and\u00a0Gervon Dexter Sr. there. I was thinking we might see\u00a0at least\u00a0one 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.”<\/p>\n

Pro Football Focus: B+<\/p>\n

Pro Football Focus:<\/a> “This pick shows that first-year head coach Ben Johnson already has his fingerprints on Chicago\u2019s team-building philosophy. Pairing Loveland with\u00a0Cole Kmet<\/a>\u00a0gives the\u00a0Bears<\/a>\u00a0significant 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…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\u2019t 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).”<\/p>\n

CBS Sports: B+<\/p>\n

CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso<\/a>: “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.”<\/p>\n

Yahoo! Sports: B<\/p>\n

Yahoo! Sports’ Charles’ McDonald<\/a>: “Ben Johnson\u2019s fingerprints were all over this draft for the Bears. Adding tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III and tackle Ozzy Trapilo were clear moves to try and improve Chicago’s offensive roster after last year\u2019s disaster performance in Caleb Williams\u2019 first year as the starting quarterback. Trapilo is a bit of a project and Burden might need a bit of refinement in his transition to the league, but if they hit their ceilings they could end up being strong, positive players for the Bears. Their offensive Round 2 picks are a bit risky, but not indefensible. Shemar Turner was a nice depth pick for the defensive line, but it felt early for him.”<\/p>\n

FOX Sports: A-<\/p>\n

FOX Sports’ Rob Rang<\/a>: “Given the way that\u00a0Sam LaPorta\u00a0helped the\u00a0Detroit Lions\u00a0the 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\u00a0Colston Loveland drafted ahead of\u00a0Tyler 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.\u00a0I liked the Bears’ selection on Thursday, but I\u00a0loved\u00a0their 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\u00a0Ozzy Trapilo\u00a0and\u00a0Shemar Turner\u00a0provide. Of the Bears’ Day 3 picks, I’m most intrigued by the upside of\u00a0UTSA\u00a0cornerback\u00a0Zah Frazier, who offers many of the traits that have helped Tariq Woolen \u2014 another former fifth-round pick \u2014 emerge as a starter for the\u00a0Seahawks.”<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated: B-<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano<\/a>: “The Bears have received a ton of praise for loading up on weapons for Caleb Williams, but it\u2019s 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.”<\/p>\n

The Ringer: A-<\/p>\n

The Ringer’s Danny Kelly<\/a>: “THE BEARS\u2019 TOP PRIORITY EARLY ON IN THIS DRAFT WAS TO ADD TALENT AROUND QUARTERBACK CALEB WILLIAMS.\u00a0The team grabbed Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with their first pick, ostensibly with visions of turning him into Brian Johnson\u2019s new version of Sam LaPorta. And if you squint, it\u2019s not too hard to picture their second-round selection\u2014Missouri\u2019s Luther Burden III\u2014playing 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\u2019s development a focus\u2014and both Loveland and Burden should be on the field very early on.”<\/p>\n

Bleacher Report: A-<\/p>\n

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox<\/a>: “In Round 1, the Chicago Bears<\/a> found themselves a terrific new target for second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. Michigan’s\u00a0Colston Loveland\u00a0should be a wonderful complement to Cole Kmet and a Sam LaPorta-like playmaker in the offense of new head coach Ben Johnson. Chicago got another weapon for Williams and Johnson on Day 2, adding Missouri wideout\u00a0Luther Burden III.\u00a0Burden, who tallied 2,263 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in 38 games at Missouri, should partner with Warren, Kmet, D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze to give the Bears a deep, talented receiving corps.\u00a0Chicago also added some Day 2 value by trading back in a deal with Buffalo.<\/p>\n

Even after trading down, the Bears got themselves a quality tackle prospect in Boston College’s\u00a0Ozzy Trapilo, who was named the most\u00a0pro-ready tackle\u00a0by the Bleacher Report Scouting Department.\u00a0Texas A&M defensive lineman\u00a0Shemar Turner\u00a0should help address Chicago’s 28th-ranked run defense right away. On Day 3, general manager Ryan Poles took a flier on late-riser Ruben Hyppolite II, a solid gamble at that point in the draft.\u00a0 If Johnson is looking to replicate the success the Detroit Lions have had in recent years\u2014and one can assume that’s the plan\u2014the Bears were wise to add pass-catchers and build in the trenches over draft weekend.”<\/p>\n

Pro Football Network: B<\/p>\n

Pro Football Network<\/a>: “Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears\u2019 front office hit the offensive side of the ball early and often in this draft. This didn\u2019t come as a major surprise since new head coach Ben Johnson is offensive-minded. The Bears\u2019 offense struggled during Caleb Williams\u2019 rookie season, and they made it a point to put more talent around him heading into Year 2. Colston Loveland bolsters Chicago\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 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\u2019t come from a Power 5 program, but the cornerback checks a lot of the boxes that teams covet \u2013 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\u2019t leave the back end of the draft with a ton of value.”<\/p>\n

For The Win: B+<\/p>\n

For The Win<\/a>: “After overhauling their offensive line in free agency, the Bears went all in on giving Caleb Williams a complete cupboard of weapons in the draft. Loveland and Burden alone were arguably two of the best pure pass-catchers in this draft class. They now join a depth chart that already features D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze. PHEW.”<\/p>\n

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