B+
Chicago Bears
The Bears cashed the board's mistake on Noel: B+.
by HuntressAri ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 9 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like Jaylin Noel slides to the 154th pick, you do not overthink it, and the Bears did not.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. The cost of the Helm reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 10 they get a building block for the line. A real need, handled.
Walter Nolen in the 44th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Gunnar Helm in pick 81 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The board had Jared Wilson higher than No. 118, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Lathan Ransom in the 149th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A minor itch, scratched.
Steal is underselling it; Jaylin Noel at the Round 5 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
You do not let a cornerback like Quincy Riley reach pick No. 197 and blink. They did not. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Woody Marks in Round 6, Pick 33 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Circle this one: Donovan Edwards at the 235th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jordan Hancock at No. 242 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They robbed the room for Jermari Harris here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.