Bear Digest

Bears' rookie class shines bright in Week 12 win over the Steelers

The Bears 2025 draft class paid major dividends in the Bears 31-28 win.
Jerry Markarian|
Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Some questioned the Bears' decision to take two pass-catchers with their first two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Others lambasted Chicago for not addressing the running back position until the seventh round in a historically deep class. Another faction of the fanbase was upset that they traded down one of their second-round picks instead of adding the top left tackle on the board at pick 41.

Each of those concerns looks absolutely silly seven months later. Nearly the entire class made vital contributions to the team's 31-28 win over the Steelers.

Colston Loveland looks every bit like the matchup nightmare the Bears thought they'd be getting when they selected him with the tenth overall pick. He finished the game with four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. Even with Tyler Warren's quick start in Indianapolis, it's safe to say the Bears have no regrets about their decision to select the University of Michigan product.

Meanwhile, Luther Burden III is a dynamo whenever he has the ball in his hands. He finished second on the team with 61 total yards (46 receiving and 15 rushing) and is quickly developing into one of the team's best offensive weapons. He and Loveland are two of the best playmakers in the entire 2025 draft class.

Kyle Monangai continued cementing his status as one of the biggest steals of the draft. He led the team with 48 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown of his own. The seventh-round pick has outplayed many of the backs selected (well) in front of him.

56th overall pick Ozzy Trapilo, who played primarily on the right side at Boston College, became a forgotten man after the coaching staff seemingly gave up on him making the switch to left tackle in the preseason. They moved him back to the right side to back up Darnell Wright, who is in no danger of losing playing time whenever healthy. It looked every bit like a wasted second-round selection. Then an opportunity presented itself on the left side once again, with Theo Benedet being sidelined and Braxton Jones being on Injured Reserve.

It's safe to say Trapilo made the most of it.

While it's still unclear whether he did enough to supplant Benedet (a beast in the running game and occasional revolving door in the passing game) on the left side, it was an undeniably encouraging performance. Meanwhile, sixth-round pick Luke Newman came in and more than held his own in relief of Jonah Jackson, who left the game in the second quarter. For the first time in a long time, the team appears to have very strong depth along the offensive line.

The Steelers' defensive line is one of the league's deepest units. They're stacked from top to bottom. Trapilo neutralized Nick Herbig, who entered the game with 6.5 sacks, and Newman largely did the same to Pittsburgh's interior, featuring two first-round (and one second-round) selections, including a future Hall of Famer in Cameron Heyward. It's remarkable that the line held up as well as it did with two rookies out there.

It's also remarkable how well the entire class played. Ryan Poles certainly deserves his flowers for hitting a few home runs with this group.

More Chicago Bears News

Published | Modified
Jerry Markarian
JERRY MARKARIAN

Jerry Markarian has been an avid Chicago Bears fan since 2010 and has been writing about the team since 2022. He has survived the 2010 NFC Championship Game, a career-ending injury to his favorite player (Johnny Knox), the Bears' 2013 season finale, a Double Doink, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Weeks 8-17 of the 2024 NFL season. Nevertheless, he still Bears Down!

Share on XFollow jerrymarkarian
Home/News