Bears' 2025 NFL Draft class is ranked first in one highly-regarded metric

The Bears appeared to have hit a home run with their 2025 NFL Draft haul. While nobody was gifted a starring role right away, four rookies on the offensive side of the ball provided huge impacts down the stretch.

It's difficult to quantify just how impactful one rookie class is to another. There are simply too many variables at play to make an accurate assessment on the matter. However, from the eye test, the Bears definitely seemed to have one of the league's best rookie classes. Do the analytics agree with that stance?

Pro Football Focus certainly does. They have Chicago's rookie class at the top of their WAR (Wins Above Replacement) rankings for the 2025 NFL season.

1. Bears 🐻

The Top 10 rookie classes based on WAR this seasonhttps://t.co/JCrD2tSGK5
— PFF (@PFF) January 16, 2026

The metric helps quantify the number of wins a player accounts for, factoring in how the team would perform with a mid-tier starter. It considers positional value (QBs are excluded from the process, since they would greatly skew the rankings) and overall player impact.

When you consider the grading process and criteria, it's hard to argue with PFF on this one.

You could make a strong case that Colston Loveland is already one of the league's best tight ends, and the most exciting part is he's still only 21. No tight end played better than the tenth overall pick over the second half of the year, and he's really started to light up the stat sheets over the past month.

Colston Loveland since Christmas:

8 REC | 137 YDS
10 REC | 91 YDS | 1 TD
6 REC | 94 YDS | 1 TD

Leads TEs in receptions and receiving yards this postseason. pic.twitter.com/NZhgf7sHWe
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 15, 2026

I don't think anyone would take Tyler Warren over Colston Loveland at this point. He has effectively ended those (much too early to begin with) conversations.

Their first (of three) second-round picks, Luther Burden III, whom the team selected with the 39th pick, also came on strong over the second half of the season. He showed flashes of dominance down the stretch and was one of the league's most efficient weapons.

#Bears WR Luther Burden III in his rookie year:

• 124.5 targeted passer rating (5th for all WRs)
• 2.82 yards/route run (3rd)
• 7.1 YAC per catch (T-3rd)
• 78.6% targets caught (4th)
• 158.3 targeted passer rating on deep balls (T-1st)

Efficiency king. pic.twitter.com/Uddz6hCDCU
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) January 4, 2026

According to PFF, both Loveland and Burden ranked inside the top four in the WAR metric among offensive rookies.

The Bears also got quality play out of 56th overall pick Ozzy Trapilo after he took over the starting left tackle job in Week 12. He stabilized the position that was previously the weak spot on Chicago's offensive line and looked good enough to eliminate the need to prioritize the position in the offseason.

Unfortunately, Trapilo suffered a torn Achilles in their miraculous win in the Wild Card Round over Green Bay. While they'll definitely be hoping he will bounce back strong and eventually regain the starting job, they will surely bring in some insurance at the left tackle spot this offseason to bridge the gap.

The Bears saved their best pick (at least in terms of return on value) for last. They landed one of the biggest draft steals in the entire draft with the seventh-round selection of Kyle Monangai. The 233rd pick ran for nearly 800 yards and proved to be the perfect complement to starter D'Andre Swift. Together, they formed one of the league's best backfield duos.

Monangai performed liked one of the best backs in the entire (absolutely loaded) class. He earned the third-highest WAR score to show for it.

While Trapilo's injury puts a damper on the unit's outlook, there is no denying the impact that they made as rookies. The Bears wouldn't have made it nearly as far as they have without their much-needed contributions.