The 2025 NFL Draft is one day away from kicking off and what the Chicago Bears do with the 10th overall pick is still contingent on how the first nine selections go.
There’s still a shot the Bears attempt to move up from 10, utilizing some of the Day 2 selections, in order to land their preferred target in Ashton Jeanty. If that possibility is off the table, Chicago will be “praying” Jeanty falls to them at 10.
If he doesn’t make it, the team will have to pivot, which could include trading back to reevaluate the options if another team is willing to move up.
General manager Ryan Poles confirmed on Tuesday that phone calls are being made to gauge the interest around the league in terms of moving around the board, as far as what position the Bears could target if Jeanty is off the board, ESPN insiders are indicating the same belief.
“The Bears (No. 10) have been linked to skill players such as Jeanty and [Tyler] Warren. If Jeanty is for some reason there at No. 10, the word is Chicago loves him. If not, multiple execs believe offensive tackle makes more sense.” – ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
The top offensive tackles in the class are Will Campbell, Armand Membou, and Kelvin Banks Jr. Word is, the Patriots are high on Campbell with the fourth overall pick and Membou has garnered interest from the Raiders and Jets at 6 and 7 respectively.
Therefore, the only offensive tackle likely to be in play at 10 would be Banks, a prospect I mentioned earlier in the week that would be a shocking pick for Chicago.
However, in Peter Schrager’s one and only mock draft that released on Wednesday, he had Chicago moving down from 10 to 14 with the Colts, picking up the 80th overall pick in the process and still coming away with Banks.
“Banks could end up going before Membou as the top tackle in this class. He has the better tape and is more consistent. If the Bears trade back and still get him, that’s a major win.” – ESPN’s Peter Schrager
The only issue I have with this is seeing the Bears pass on Mason Graham with the 10th overall pick (Schrager had Graham going 13th overall to the Dolphins). Personally, Graham is a Top-5 player in this class and I don’t foresee Poles or defensive coordinator Dennis Allen being comfortable passing on him and trading back instead.
In terms of selecting Banks, that pick itself makes some sense. The Bears are looking for some competition at left tackle with Braxton Jones coming off a serious injury while entering into the final year of his contract. There’s some concern over whether Banks can translate to the NFL level at left tackle, but if not, the Bears could slide him at left guard behind Joe Thuney as the long-term solution there.
Everything is still up in the air and far from certain. But, it is interesting seeing two different ESPN insiders mention offensive tackle as a possibility for the Bears one day before the draft.
