Bear Digest

2025 NFL Draft: 4 Chicago Bears veterans with the most to gain in the first round

The list of veteran Chicago Bears players who have the most to gain from GM Ryan Poles' 2025 NFL Draft decisions is long. Here are four of them.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears will make a critical and potentially season-changing decision with who they select with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. While this year's draft won't have the kind of long-term implications as last year's draft -- when they selected QB Caleb Williams with the first overall pick -- there's still plenty riding on GM Ryan Poles getting it right.

Several Bears veterans will be watching the first round closely, and many of them will have a self-serving interest. The choice Poles make will have a ripple effect on individual performances this season, including for these four veterans who have the most to gain in Round 1.

Rome Odunze, WR

Odunze is expected to have a breakout season in 2025, and in order to reach those expectations, he'll need his quarterback to have an offensive line that can protect him long enough to make plays downfield. The 2025 NFL offseason has accomplished most of that goal, but if the Bears select a left tackle at No. 10 overall, Odunze's outlook will soar.

Caleb Williams, QB

Much like Odunze, Williams' 2025 offseason will have a perfect ending if Ryan Poles sticks with his plan and selects an offensive tackle in the first round. Williams has benefited from the team's offseason moves more than any other Bears player, beginning with the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach and extending through the trades and free agency additions centered around keeping him upright. Snagging a left tackle of the future would be a chef's kiss.

Dayo Odeyingbo, Edge

Odeyingbo would also benefit from an offensive lineman (or any offensive position player) being the Bears' first-round pick. If so, he'd have a clear runway to being an every-down edge rusher, which, for his career outlook, is his best-case scenario. If, however, Chicago pivots to an edge rusher like Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart, Odeyingbo's chances to breakout with the Bears go way down. He's getting paid to be an impact defensive lineman in Dennis Allen's defense, but a first-round edge rusher could cast a shadow on that outlook.

Tyrique Stevenson, CB

Stevenson is overflowing with talent, but he's become something of an untrustworthy player through his first two seasons. If the Bears decide that Michigan's Will Johnson offers more reliable upside than Stevenson, the former Miami Hurricane's time as a starter will be over. However, it feels at this point in the 2025 NFL Draft process that that would be a reach, paving the way for Stevenson to retain his unquestioned starting role with a chance to rebuild his image this fall.

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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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