Bear Digest

How the NFL Combine reshaped the Chicago Bears’ 2025 NFL Draft strategy

Alan Goldsher|
Could Arizona's Jonah Savaiinaea be the first O-lineman chosen by the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Could Arizona's Jonah Savaiinaea be the first O-lineman chosen by the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft? | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft and free agency periods, the Chicago Bears’ battle cry is Fix the trenches!

Or at least it should be.

As the roster currently stands, the lines on both sides of the ball, while not epically terrible, aren’t playoff-quality, let alone Lombardi-quality, making it wholly understandable why most pundits have Chicago going O-line with their first round draft pick.

That wouldn’t be a bad direction, as there’ll be plenty of quality OL and OG options still on the board when Chicago picks at the 10-spot. But considering what we saw at last week’s NFL Combine, there might be plenty of quality OL and OG options when the Bears pick at the 39- or the 41-spot.

Big Dudes Doing Big Things

Currently the Draft’s highest-rated O-lineman, LSU’s Will Campbell, had an issue at Combine Central, that being the length of his arms. Ideally, a guard or a tackle’s pythons measure out at 34 inches; Campbell came in at 32⅝.

Will the LSU product’s stock take a hit? Probably not—he crushed his 40-yard dash with a time of 4.98—but maybe yes, because…analytics. If Campbell does indeed get a red mark on his record, that could have a huge domino effect that could have a notable impact on the Chicago Bears…especially considering the Combine performance of several lesser-touted O-line prospects.

Mizzou’s Armand Membou, for instance, kinda-sorta made history, running a 4.91 40, the fastest time for any player his size since 2003.

Membou’s Combine work has PFF now mocking him to the Jaguars at five, saying, “I can envision Jacksonville investing in the trenches with Membou as the team's top tackle prospect.”

PFF has the short-armed Campbell falling into Chicago’s lap…but do the Bears want him in their laps?

Considering the athleticism that oozed out of all corners of Lucas Oil Stadium on O-line day, possibly not.

Punting the Trenches?

Multiple linemen showed out over the weekend, so much so that Bears GM Ryan Poles could think about addressing the position either late on Day One or early on Day Two:

  • North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel topped 36” in his vertical jump, posted an absurd 9’3” broad jump, and can play all five line positions. The 6’6”, 304-pound prospect might have run and jumped himself into the first round, and if Poles ends up man-crushing on him, a trade down might be a wise idea.
  • Riding a 1.72 second 10-yard split, Arizona guard Jonah Savaiinaea could be a day two steal and day one starter.
  • A 6’6”, 318-pound right guard, Georgia’s Tate Ratledge demonstrated balance and attitude, so much so that a second-round tab might be a thing.

Point being, the 2025 class’ offensive line pool is deep. And that could make the Bears’ war room an interesting place to be on Draft Night.

O? Yes!

If Poles doesn’t see any game-changing trench monsters at the ten-spot, he should trade down, take advantage of the Draft’s depth at O-line—and, for that matter, the EDGE position—and focus on a skill player.

Like Omarion Hampton.

It could be argued that nobody at the Combine helped himself more than the North Carolina running back, who some pundits believe is a better prospect than the heavily-hyped Ashton Jeanty, among them NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, who raves, “I wouldn’t be shocked if some teams ended up having Hampton as their top running back. He’s bigger and he’s going to run fast. He’s super explosive. He’s loose for a big guy. When I update my top 50, there’ll be less distance between those two.”

Hampton has become a likely first-rounder, but a relatively low first-rounder, so Poles could make a deal with, say, the Chargers, sending L.A. the 10th pick in exchange for their first (22) and their third (86). That’ll enable Chicago to grab Hampton at 22, then one (or two) of the rising linemen at with their second round choice(s), then an EDGE and a wide receiver with their two third-rounders.

That’d be one helluva draft. And to that, we say, “Thank you, NFL Combine.”

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Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.

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