Bear Digest

Why ESPN's 2025 NFL Draft Redo Gets the Chicago Bears' Second-Round Pick Wrong

ESPN’s revised 2025 draft has the Bears taking a different direction with the 39th overall pick in Round 2.
Bryan Perez|
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ESPN's recent redo of the 2025 NFL Draft reimagined the Chicago Bears' second-round decision at No. 39 overall that misses the mark. By a lot.

In the revised scenario, ESPN's Courtney Cronin swaps out wide receiver Luther Burden III for running back Quinshon Judkins. Here's the full rationale ESPN provided:

"The Bears would have been thrilled had the board unfolded this way," Cronin wrote. "Chicago eyed a running back on Day 2 but couldn't get the Patriots to budge one spot and instead took Burden. That was a terrific pick, but with Burden not available, Judkins could have filled a significant need in the backfield. He rushed 230 times for 827 yards (third most among rookies) and seven touchdowns in 2025."

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The problem with this pick isn't Judkins. He's a tough, productive runner who carved out real value as the Cleveland Browns' starting running back. But it dismisses the upside and positional value that Burden possesses, especially with how the Bears' running backs performed in 2025.

That includes rookie seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai, who was even more impressive than Judkins for most of the year.

As for Burden, he fits the mold of the modern NFL wideout who can separate, win after the catch, stress coverage horizontally and vertically, and has a force-mulitiplying effect for his teammates. He's not just a receiver for Ben Johnson; he's an offensive weapon.

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Burden's role in Chicago will expand mightily in 2026. There's a chance that DJ Moore won't be a Bear in 2026, and even if he is, his reps won't be the same as they have been, and that's because Burden is just too good to keep off the field.

Burden ended the 2025 season with 47 catches for 652 yards and two touchdowns.

Replacing Burden with a running back from the 2025 NFL draft class after already smashing a home run with Monangai is... foolish. If the Bears' goal is to maximize Caleb Williams' upside, keeping Burden as that pick is the only way to go.

Hey, at least Cronin got the first round right. She has the Chicago Bears pulling the no-brainer and sticking with Colston Loveland.

"At the time, many questioned why the Bears drafted Loveland over Tyler Warren, who had significantly more receiving production at Penn State," Cronin wrote. "That feeling lingered until Loveland's breakout performance against the Bengals in Week 9, which proved he was the right pick for Ben Johnson's system. The former Michigan tight end finished as Chicago's leader in receptions (58) and receiving yards (713) and was tied for the team lead with six touchdowns."

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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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