A-
Chicago Bears
Grand theft in pick No. 233: the Bears steal Barton and grade out a A-.
by HuntressAri ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. Lander Barton at No. 233 is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did. A near-flawless weekend of work, and a A- to cap it.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. They will regret leaving interior defensive lineman for another day if the season turns on it. The veteran additions, Trey Smith chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
They left with edge rusher solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
In the end it comes back to Mike Green, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 15 they get a premier pass rusher at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Malaki Starks at No. 39 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Value with a capital V on Tyler Booker in slot 46, a genuine coup. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A clean, defensible pick in Round 3, Pick 8 with a little surplus value in Dylan Sampson. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Circle this one: Gunnar Helm at the 147th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They barely believed it either: Jonah Monheim still on the board at the Round 6 slot. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A linebacker of that caliber at the 233rd overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.