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How the Bears Could Think Outside the Draft Box Like Last Year

There are Bears needs on the defensive line but they had similar needs last year and took tight end Colston Loveland. If they went best available, here's what they'd face.
Gene Chamberlain|
Would drafting a receiver Caleb Williams already knows like USC's Makai Lemon be negligence or just thinking outside the box?
Would drafting a receiver Caleb Williams already knows like USC's Makai Lemon be negligence or just thinking outside the box? | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears' needs at several positions in this year's draft indicate a defensive lean.

The poor run defense and their inability to rush the passer last year make defensive line obvious for early rounds.

This doesn't necessarily mean they would have to take a player in Round 1 at No. 25 who rushes the passer or stops the run.

If you've looking at mock drafts and attempts to fit the Bears with players who represent potential upgrades on the defensive front, Bears assistant general manager Jeff King reminded all this week about the best player available mentality with Colston Loveland last year, while speaking with team play-by-play man Jeff Joniak on Bears Weekly.

"I don't think we're going to get away from that," King said. "If you look at past year it's not common to take a tight end in the top 10, right?

"But based upon how we felt about Colston and his ability to impact us and how we felt where he fell in that draft, we took the best football player in that draft for us."

No one can criticize the pick now. Loveland led them in receptions as the move-tight end in the attack, and Pro Football Focus graded him as an extremely effective run blocker.

The defensive tackle supply should be exhausted first, according to GM Ryan Poles' assessment.

Still, it isn't necessarily going to be those players or even that side of the football when they select in Round 1.

Inside-the-box thinking has them taking those defensive line positions early, but here's how thinking outside the box could influence them in Round 1. Remember, though, if they think outside the box, everyone will be criticizing them for not taking a defensive end or tackle again and then the Max Crosby rumors can begin again.

Cornerback

The blend here is need and talent available. Also, the position is so vital they could never ignore a top talent who fell to them at this position.

They're now counting on Tyrique Stevenson as a starter, and for that matter their strongest player at the position isn't even a certainty until it's proven. The Bears never saw Jaylon Johnson at 100% health after a pre-training camp groin injury, subsequent core muscle surgery, and a rushed rehab and return to the lineup. He said as much himself. 

They had so little faith in Stevenson last year that when Johnson returned it was Stevenson going to the bench and not Nahshon Wright, who allowed six touchdown passes and more passing yards than all but two other NFL cornerbacks when targeted.

Obviously, they didn't feel strongly about keeping Wright because he left for the Jets on an easily topped one-year, $5.5 million deal. If they were playing Stevenson behind a player at this level, then they would see a need for an upgrade if one fell into their laps. Also, Stevenson is in a contract year and there is the future to consider.

If they had great depth of talent behind Johnson and Stevenson, it would be easy to ignore. However, the backups now are Terell Smith, Zah Frazier and Jaylon Jones. Smith is a fifth-round draft pick coming off knee surgery and played only 584 downs of defense in two years. Frazier didn't even practice as a rookie due to an undisclosed "personal" situation. Although he has great speed, how many talented wide receivers could the fifth-round 2025 cornerback have faced playing for University of Texas-El Paso, FCS school Southern Illinois, and Coffeyville Community College?

And Jones is a waiver wire pickup who returned  to the team after leaving in free agency and then being cut by the Cardinals.

The Bears are one injury to a starting cornerback they didn't even seem to like much last year away from being in big trouble.

Who to watch in Round 1: If Tennessee's Jermod McCoy or Clemson's Avieon Terrell fell to 25, it would be easy to take either. Terrell is said by NFL.com veteran draft analyst Lance Zierlein to be at his best in man-to-man, press coverage. The Bears played man-to-man coverage at the sixth highest rate in the NFL according to Sharp Football Analysis (29.1%).

McCoy is said to be good in all coverage and NFL media compares him to Stephon Gilmore, a former NFL defensive player of the year

Who to watch in Round 2: Colton Hood of Tennesee is expected by Pro Football Focus to be an early Round 2 pick, and South Carolina's Brandon Cisse, San Diego State's Chris Johnson, Arizona State's Keith Abney, and Miami's Keionte Scott are all 6-foot cornerbacks who PFF projects as second-rounders who could go before the Bears pick. They'd be safe taking any of them in a round where they got Stevenson. What about replacing one cornerback from the U with another from the U (Scott)? Scott and Abney are graded by PFF as almost equally effective in man and zone coverage, and this is good because the Bears are in zone about 66% of the time even if they play more man than most teams.

Safety

Let's face it, this pick would be thinking inside the box and also outside it. It would be outside because of their line needs, but inside it because they're missing a starter and also need another depth piece.

Who to watch in Round 1: If Oregon's Dillon Thieneman fell, it would  seem unlikely they'd ignore a safety who ran 4.35 seconds in the 40, hits and played major D-1 football. Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is a trendy pick for the Bears at No. 25. This would have to be considered outside-the-box thinking or even risky because of his MAC experience and also because he didn't rate really high against other safeties at the combine. His play is his calling card. The thing with thinking outside the box at safety is it really ends at Round 1. Any safety after that would be logical.

Wide receiver

They wouldn't go there, would they? You don't know Ben Johnson if that's what you think. The possibility of this seems at least as great as taking a tight end 10th overall last year.

Perhaps it's more urgent considering they didn't merely lose DJ Moore, but let Olamide Zaccheaus leave as a free agent. Zaccheaus had 65 targets and 580 plays. Moore had 85 targets and 979 plays. They've got to make up the play time/targets somewhere, and 31-year-old acquisition Kalif Raymond hasn't been over 44 targets and 358 offensive plays in a year since 2022. They should just about be expected to select a receiver at some point.

Who to watch in Round 1: Makai Lemon of USC jumps out as a potential Johnson pick. He's at the same school that produced Amon-Ra St. Brown, and also Detroit's Jordan Addison. He has been on a team with Caleb Williams. He not only gets open everywhere, but is deadly after the catch, ranking 13th in missed tackles forced last year in college according to PFF. I

Who to watch in Round 2: In all honesty, the thing to watch for a Bears drafted receiver should be 40 time because elite-level speed is something they lack. They have plenty of 4.4-somethings like Indiana's Omar Cooper or UConn's Skyler Bell. Something in the low 4.3s or 4.2s is more needed. Chris Brazzell II of Tennessee would be interesting because of great size (6-5, 200) and 4.3 speed, but the Velus Jones experience could turn them off on Tennessee receivers. Bryce Lance, North Dakota State's 6-3, 209-pounder, who ran 4.34, is from a program that produced Christian Watson. Johnson's offense always operated best in Detroit if Jameson Williams was healthy to lift defensive lids. Most of the extremely fast receivers come in Round 3 or later in this draft, and have deficiencies in other areas to keep them out of the top two rounds.

Linebacker

This wouldn't be out of the question, just unlikely. Signing D'Marco Jackson at a team-friendly two years/$7.5 million, and bringing back Jack Sanborn for one year at $1.2 million reflects the low-cost approach they've taken at this position. Considering T.J. Edwards had a broken fibula in the playoffs and Noah Sewell suffered a late-season Achilles tendon tear, they almost are required to find more help at this position. Starting free agent acquisition Devin Bush is known more for speed and coverage than tackling ability, and they definitely could use more help at the position. If athleticism and size dropped to them in Round 1 at linebacker, it would be hard to look away.

Who to watch in Round 1: There are two linebackers who are not falling far enough for the Bears and that's Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles. If either dropped past No. 15 it would be surprising. They're graded as top five players by PFF. Georgia' CJ Allen is a possibility to be available here but his PFF pass coverage grades have not been impressive and the Bears emphasize linebackers who can cover.

Who to watch in Round 2: Cincinnati's Jake Golday is one worthy of consideration at 6-4, 240, and with high grades both stopping the run and in coverage. He could be an athletic upgrade after a 4.62 40 and 1.6 split in the 40, and a 39-inch vertical leap as a 6-foot-4 player.

Running back

If you don't think Johnson would select a running back 25th, then you don't recall how Detroit moved up in Round 1 to draft a back with a lot of speed, but lacking size. That's Jahmyr Gibbs. A back who can also catch passes and move would be especially enticing because they have everything else covered. However, the top back who has everything working his way isn't falling to No. 25, and that's Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love.  He is the only back graded in the top 55 by PFF.

Who to watch in Round 2: The only name who comes to mind here is Love's teammate, Jadarian Price. He lacks the pass-catching experience Gibbs (104 receptions) had in college but owns decent speed, kick-return ability, and a knack for making people miss. He has been a breakaway receiving threat when given the chance.

Tackle

It's of a need than many positions but already addressed with four potential solutions in Theo Benedet, Braxton Jones, and Jedrick Wills, and then maybe late in the season with starter Ozzy Trapilo returning.

Who to watch in Round 1: He jumps out like a sore thumb because of size and that's Kadyn Proctor at 6-7, 366. No one could blame them for taking him if he fell. He's only graded 27th by PFF. Despite four options at the position, they are talking about protecting Caleb Williams' blind side.

Who to watch in Round 2: Northwestern's Caleb Tiernan has Trapilo type height at 6-7, 325. Iowa's Gennings Dunker isn't quite as tall. The real later-round possibility would be the U's Markel Bell, who is 6-9, 345. But he's graded by many a late third-rounder. Taking him 89th might be a possibility.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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