Bear Digest

2025 NFL Draft: Grading the Chicago Bears' selection of DT Shemar Turner in 2nd round

The Chicago Bears flipped to the defensive side of the ball with the selection of defensive tackle Shemar Turner in the second round. Here's our grade.
Bryan Perez|
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After spending their first three picks on offensive players, the Chicago Bears flipped to the defense with the 62nd overall pick in the second round and selected Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Turner.

The Bears were projected as a team that would target an interior defensive lineman at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft, and they found that guy in Turner, who finished the 2024 season with 36 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.

"Three-year starter with “tweener” measurables but excellent musculation and lean mass," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote in his scouting report. "Turner plays with unlimited activity and a heavy dose of violence. He has a quick first step and an explosive punch. He’s capable of holding the point against single blocks or working the gaps with foot quickness. His pressure rate is hurt by a lack of length but he’s a restless rusher who hunts blockers’ edges and will eventually leak through if the play extends. His athleticism and chase quickness will see him in or near the pile with some frequency as a future starter."

Turner (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) joins a revamped Chicago Bears defensive line that already welcomed free-agent additions Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo. Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings will return to play key roles in Dennis Allen's defense, and with Turner adding another pass-rushing threat to the defense's trenches, the Bears' defensive line just got a lot more exciting.

As for a grade, the Shemar Turner selection earns a solid B. He'll fill a key rotational role with eventual starter's upside at a position that's quickly become one of the most important for any defense to reach championship caliber.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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