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Bears could have a new offensive lineman at the top of their 2025 NFL Draft board

Most NFL Draft experts project the Chicago Bears to select an offensive lineman in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and a new prospect is emerging as a potential pick at No. 10 overall.
Bryan Perez|
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Every year, following the NFL Combine, teams reshuffle their prospect rankings and big boards. For the Chicago Bears, the strong performances from this year's crop of offensive linemen will have them revisiting their big board and, potentially, making some changes too.

LSU's Will Campbell has long been considered the favorite to be the first offensive lineman selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Bears might be the first team to pick an offensive lineman in the first round. As a result, Campbell and the Bears have been linked together throughout this year's draft process.

But that narrative may begin to fade following the 2025 NFL Combine.

Instead, expect a new offensive lineman to emerge as the top choice for GM Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears: Missouri's Armand Membou.

Membou, a right tackle in college, had the most impressive workout of any offensive lineman at Lucas Oil Stadium and was recently named one of Mel Kiper's post-Combine risers.

Missouri offensive lineman Armand Membou (OL28) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Armand Membou continues to climb 2025 NFL Draft rankings

"The race for OT1 is going to be tight," Kiper wrote. "LSU's Will Campbell has great movement traits, but he has 32½-inch arms, which are extremely short for a tackle. Ohio State's Josh Simmons has standout tools, but he is coming off his knee injury. Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. is also in the mix; he measured at 6-foot-5, which will be key after scouts were wondering if he was too short to play outside.

"But what about Membou? He showed his quickness Sunday with a 4.91-second 40 time. He showed his power with a 9-foot, 7-inch broad jump (tops among offensive linemen) and a 34-inch vertical (fourth). And we already know he has the experience that teams like to see, with 30 career starts. His 33½-inch arms mean he can stick at tackle in the pros. Though I projected him at No. 13 to the Dolphins in my mock last week, his combine showing means he will be getting top-10 buzz."

The biggest problem with projecting Membou to the Bears is the presence of Darnell Wright, who's entrenched as Chicago's right tackle for the foreseeable future. If the Bears have confidence in Membou shifting from his natural right tackle spot to the left side, he's a no-brainer selection at No. 10 overall. And if they're OK with selecting an offensive lineman who projects as a guard that high in the first round, he still makes a ton of sense.

Traits matter for offensive tackles in the NFL Draft process, more so than for most other positions. Membou, unlike some of his other 2025 offensive line classmates, checks every box, both physically and athletically. And his film is downright impressive, too.

So while the buzz surrounding the Chicago Bears and their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has centered around Will Campbell for the last couple of months, it's Armand Membou who deserves that attention now. And it's Membou who could soon join the cluster of new Bears offensive linemen charged with protecting Caleb Williams in 2025.

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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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