Bear Digest

Chicago Bears' odds of landing top defensive target in 2025 NFL Draft just went way down

The Chicago Bears may have their sights set on one defensive standout in the 2025 NFL Draft, but it'll take a lot of luck for him to last until No. 10 overall.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles told reporters at the 2025 NFL Owners Meetings that there are only a handful of 'blue' players in this year's NFL Draft, which is the highest grade the Bears' scouting department issues to a prospect.

In fact, Poles said that the number of blue players is in the single digits, and with Chicago holding the 10th overall pick, there's a strong chance none of them will be on the board when the Bears are on the clock.

There's no doubt that Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham is a 'blue' player for Poles and the rest of the NFL. The odds he falls to the Bears at No. 10 overall are low, and with ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler's latest report, they just got even lower.

Graham will visit with the New England Patriots, who hold the fourth overall pick, and the New Orleans Saints, who hold the ninth overall pick, ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. Teams rarely use a top 30 visit on prospects they aren't legitimately interested in selecting early in the draft, so the fact that two teams that pick ahead of the Bears are hosting Graham suggests it would be a shock if he slides to Chicago.

NFL free agency may have changed the Chicago Bears' desperation for a player like Graham, however. The additions of veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and ascending edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo, who has outside-inside versatility, could actually have Poles looking elsewhere in the first round. And, if that's the case, Graham taking up a pick ahead of Chicago might actually be good news.

Translation: a player they want even more falls down the board.

Or, maybe that's just how Bears fans will deal with the disappointment of being oh so close to landing yet another dominant interior defensive lineman in the first round. Chicago was one pick away from selecting Aaron Donald in the 2014 NFL Draft. Instead, the Rams picked Donald at No. 13, forcing the Bears to settle for Kyle Fuller at No. 14. Sure, Fuller was fine. But Donald became a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

That's not to say Graham will follow the same career path Donald did. But it would be a kick in the gut for Bears fans if the Saints pick him at No. 9, and Chicago is left one pick away from wondering what could've been.

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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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