Bear Digest

Ryan Poles' rookie class might be best since the Mike Ditka era

Analysis: Since the Mike Ditka regime, the Bears might have had only one draft class with similar or better immediate production than this 2025 draft class.
Gene Chamberlain|
Colston Loveland makes a catch and turns upfield against Javon Bullard of the Packers.
Colston Loveland makes a catch and turns upfield against Javon Bullard of the Packers. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

GM Ryan Poles had absorbed a ton of heat at the bye week for this year's Bears draft, even though his selections were heavily influenced by Ben Johnson.

Ozzy Trapilo hadn't started and was out of position. Shemar Turner was injured and didn't contribute, Colston Loveland wasn't Tyler Warren. Luther Burden had seven catches for 99 yards and showed promise but wasn't getting much playing time. Among Day 3 picks, they weren't getting anything from Ruben Hyppolite, cornerback Zah Frazier was out for the year and Kyle Mongangai had only 17 rushing attempts.

Everything changed after the bye as Trapilo eventually became a starting left tackle, Turner showed talent as an edge before a season-ending injury, Burden became one of the league's more dangerous receivers after the catch and if Loveland wasn't Warren he might have been even better in some ways. Loveland has more touchdowns now than Warren and with 48 catches is one reception from the team lead.

Loveland and Monangai, with five touchdown each, Burden with two and undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker with another leaves the Bears one touchdown short of the highest rookie class TD production since the fabled 1965 Bears draft class that had an NFL record 22 TDs from Gale Sayers and three more from wide receiver Dick Gordon.

Bearing the Burden

The Caleb Williams connection with Burden has been essential because of his explosiveness. Burden is fourth in the NFL among wide receivers at yards after catch with 7.0. Only Rahsee Rice, Khalil Shakir and DK Metcalf rank ahead of him.

Four receivers in the draft class have more catches but two were first-round picks and he has far outperformed Green Bay's Matthew Golden by 16 receptions, 264 yards and two TDs despite being chosen 16 picks later. He's also doing better than Houston's Jayden Higgins (5 more catches, 115 more yards), who was taken five spots ahead of him.

"As he said before, you  know, it's a problem when you get the ball in his hands," Caleb Williams said of Burden after Sunday's loss.

The goal is simple.

"You know, give him, give him the best runner ball that I can so that he can go and be explosive and be the player that he is," Williams said.

Burden caught a 35-yard TD and Loveland a 36-yarder Sunday as the two build their connection with Williams. Coach Ben Johnson after the game noted how much time has been logged with Loveland and Williams trying to sharpen that connection.

“They've got a lot of time on task now at this point," Johnson said. "They spent a lot of time after practice perfecting their craft, just the two of them. I think it's really starting to pay off for us."

Loveland routing deep

Loveland is starting to get deeper and deeper routes. Besides the 36-yard TD, he  caught a 32-yarder to the 49ers' 20-yard line that might have been a TD if not for some intrepid defense.

"It was a really accurate ball there by Caleb," Johnson said. "You had to put that  right on the money. I thought the linebacker did a nice job rallying and making it a contested play, yet Colson's length really showed up, and you put that ball out in front, he runs right through it.

"He's like a big wideout in a lot of ways. Then you see him blocking and it's like he's a sixth lineman sometimes as well. He's doing a phenomenal job for us and he's just going to continue to get better and better.”

Trapilo is now graded 36th of 86 tackles by Pro Football Focus, a high level for a rookie. Monangai is 25th in the league in rushing with 769 yards even though he splits time with D'Andre Swift. His 4.7 yards a carry is 13th among backs with at least 150 rushes.

It's the immediate rookie impact the Bears have sought for years without really getting, but Poles, working in conjunction with Johnson and staff, has brought in a bumper crop.

It's the best immediate production they've had since the 2018 class drafted by Ryan Pace with Roquan Smith, James Daniels, Anthony Miller and Bilal Nichols, but probably better based on the potential for future contributions from Turner, if not Hyppolite and Frazier.

It might even be the best draft class for immediate impact since the all-timer 1983 class with Hall of Famers Richard Dent and Jimbo Covert, as well as Mark Bortz, Willie Gault, Dave Duerson and Mike Richardson.

Now Poles needs to do the same with a draft loaded with defensive players next year. If so, even the critics will have to acknowledge his success.

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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.