Bear Digest

Bears' 2025 Rookie Class the Envy of the NFL in Draft Do-Over

After some pretty big draft misses, Ryan Poles may have done his best work in the 2025 NFL draft.
Pete Martuneac|
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As in life, there are no do-overs in the annual NFL draft, but that doesn't stop football fans and analysts from imagining what a do-over would look like anyway. There are often so many controversies and storylines that emerge from the draft that it's hard to resist looking back and wondering what could have been.

That's exactly what the experts at NFL Media have done. NFL analysts Ari Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, and Dan Parr published a 2025 NFL Draft do-over on Wednesday, reevaluating each of the 32 first-round picks. For this mental exercise, they made picks based on what they believe each team would do if they had full knowledge of how the 2025 season played out, including injuries.

This makes for a great read for Chicago Bears fans because it confirms that the Bears got it right with their first-round pick. Parr has the Bears sticking with Loveland, and he writes, "Loveland became the first rookie tight end in NFL history with 8+ receptions and 100+ receiving yards in a playoff game. Also, he’s the first rookie TE to lead a playoff team in receiving yards since Keith Jackson with the 1988 Eagles. Caleb Williams has a go-to guy. There’s no reason for Chicago to think about going in a different direction here."

Chicago added three first-round caliber players with just one first-round selection

In the words of the late Billy Mays, "But wait, there's more!" This draft do-over has two of Chicago's second-round picks getting drafted in the first round: Luther Burden III to the Steelers at No. 21 (originally No. 39) and Ozzy Trapilo to the Packers at No. 23 (originally No. 56).

"Seemingly every one of Burden's receptions was highlight-reel-worthy," Bhanpuri writes, "with the first-year wideout boasting the third-highest YAC per catch (7.4) and second-highest passer rating when targeted (123.1, behind only Puka Nacua) among all receivers with at least 50 targets in 2025, per Next Gen Stats."

Regarding Trapilo, Bhanpuri notes, "Not only would Trapilo have provided the Packers insurance at left tackle during the season, at least until his patellar tendon tear in the Wild Card Round, but he would’ve given them added flexibility this offseason, too... that they’d be preventing the Bears from landing their starting LT in the process only fans the flames of this renewed rivalry."

To be fair, it's still way too early to judge this draft class. Don't forget that a year ago, Jayden Daniels looked like the next Lamar Jackson, but now he's almost forgotten. A good rule of thumb is waiting three seasons before giving a final grade on players.

However, the early returns look promising for this team. It's not just the stars of the class either, as the entire Bears' 2025 NFL Draft class was ranked first by Pro Football Focus in Wins Above Replacement (WAR). We still need to see at least one more full season of production, but these rookies are shaping up to be some of Ryan Poles' best work.

Luther Burde
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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