Chicago Bears' 2025 NFL Draft conundrum—best player available or biggest need?

Like every team in every sport ever, the Chicago Bears have holes. Like in the trenches. Like at running back. Like at tight end.

But the reigning NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles also have a few needs of their own. Like their D-line was depleted after free agency.

As do the reigning MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Like their injury-happy starting rotation could use some reinforcements.

As do the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics. Like they’re thin at center, where the eternally-banged-up Kristaps Porzingis limps through the paint.

There are dozens of factors involved in properly tweaking a franchise’s personnel—personal bias, guesswork, luck, chemistry, horoscope signs—thus filling holes isn’t nearly as easy as it might seem.

For instance, the second-highest-ranked player at your biggest position of need could end up being the top dude. (See: Young, Bryce and Stroud, C.J.)

The best wide receiver available might not be the best wide receiver available. (See: Harrison Jr., Marvin and Thomas Jr., Brian.)

And then there’s your good old-fashioned whiff. (See: Lance, Trey.)

Which is why Bears GM Ryan Poles isn’t just on the clock: He’s ON THE CLOCK.

Mock Draft Madness, Part 1

In a March 25, 2025 mock draft, ESPN NFL pundit—and former Jets and Dolphins executive—Mike Tannenbaum put Chicago an awkward position, taking their best fits off the board before Poles picks at the ten-spot.

On the plus side, he had Michigan’s Mason Graham falling into Chicago’s lap.

You can say that’s a beautiful thing: The top-ranked defensive tackle sits in the top-five of virtually every expert’s big board—PFF , The 33rd Team, and NFL.com all have Graham ranked as the fourth-best prospect at any position in the entire draft.

So if Graham is available at ten, you have to pick him, right?

Maybe.

While the 6’3”, 320-pounder is an unquestioned beast, defensive tackle (Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter Jr., Andrew Billings, Chris Williams) is one of the areas in which the Bears are relatively hole-free.

Tannenbaum has Poles taking a pass on Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, and he apparently doesn’t feel that North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton is worth either a flyer at ten or a trade-down, making a Graham pick the perfect example of going best player available.

Is that logical? Should outside rankings influence a pick? Or should a front office stick to their guns and grab the guys who are closest to the top of their board?

Or should they consult a Zodiac chart?

Mock Draft Madness, Part 2

As we approach the Draft, the experts—rather than gravitate towards some semblance of a consensus—are drifting even further apart.

Sports Illustrated, for instance, has Chicago filling out their O-line with Mizzou tackle and NFL Combine freak Armand Membou, a pragmatic selection, even with Braxton Jones slotted in as the starter.

Tannenbaum’s ESPN colleague Mel Kiper Jr. is straddling the fence between need and hype, having Poles snatch up linebacker Mykel Williams. Williams would likely be a day-one starter, but if the Bears go all-in on the Georgia product, they'll miss out on need-fillers like Hampton and LSU O-lineman Will Campbell.

Finally, in their new mock, PFF has the top-rated RB, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, available for Poles at ten, giving Chicago the rare combination of best player available and need-filler.

Now Poles and head coach Ben Johnson might not believe that Jeanty is either the top guy or the top priority, and Kiper’s mock has Campbell still on the board, so Chicago’s decision makers might feel that addressing the trenches is a more logical call than addressing the backfield.

All of which is why Bears GM Ryan Poles isn’t just on the clock: He’s ON THE CLOCK.