B
Chicago Bears
The Bears won the night they stopped Neal from sliding. Grade: B.
by mikemagee ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 6 steals
· 0 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Bears were there to profit. Devin Neal, the No. 84 name on the board, should have been long gone before slot 197. The bottom line is a respectable B.
Leaving cornerback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with edge rusher the one that mattered most. Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 10 they get juice off the edge. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at the 39th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Good price on Tyler Booker in slot 41, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The roster fit checks out.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Kaleb Johnson in No. 72, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jake Majors in pick No. 149 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Circle this one: Devin Neal at pick 197 is a fall that decides a draft. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Luke Lachey in the 235th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
You do not let a linebacker like Jay Higgins reach the Round 7 slot and blink. They did not. It fills a real need, too.