The 2025 NFL Draft is 75 days away. As of right now, the Chicago Bears have eight picks — including four in the top 75. How this team goes about using its picks remains to be determined. And while what happens in free agency will go a long way toward determining how the Bears move on NFL Draft Weekend, it is never too early to look at what league insiders, analysts, and pundits are forecasting for Chicago’s football team.

A Chicago Bears 2025 NFL Mock Draft roundup hints at a return to old-school football

It feels early to go down this road, but a trend I am seeing in early batches of mock drafts has the Bears zeroing in on prospects along the offensive and defensive line, as well as running back. Considering Chicago’s needs to fill at least three starting spots on the offensive line, it makes sense that mock drafters are sending all sorts of O-line prospects the Bears’ way. For instance, Lance Zierlein (NFL Media) and Matt Miller (ESPN) have GM Ryan Poles selecting Kelvin Banks Jr., an offensive lineman from the University of Texas.

This is what Miller had to say about the Bears using the No. 10 pick to fortify their offensive line:

Banks’ 6-foot-4 frame has some scouts thinking he’s an NFL guard, which would be fine because the Bears have Braxton Jones at left tackle. But Jones will be a free agent after 2025, giving the Bears the option to kick Banks out to OT if they believe he’s ready. This pick would fill a short-term need at guard and a long-term one at tackle if Jones departs. Chicago allowed a league-high 68 sacks this season, so getting better there will be important this offseason.

It would be a brilliant strategy to draft Banks as a guard, then move him to tackle in Year 2. A lot would have to go right for that to happen, but I can see the logic behind that decision. Banks was an award-winning offensive lineman for the Longhorns and seems like a “safe” pick among offensive line prospects.

Also worth noting from Miller’s ESPN mock draft is that he has Chicago choosing North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton with the 39th pick (thanks, Panthers!) and Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams with the 41st selection. It could be fun seeing the Bears field a tandem of young tackles with Williams teaming with Gervon Dexter Sr. in the middle. As for the Hampton pick, bolstering the backfield is one of those things I think should be higher on the team’s offseason to-do list.

Let the record show that Kelvin Banks Jr. isn’t the only hot-to-trot offensive line prospect out there for the Bears to choose from in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft. Pro Football Focus and CBS Sports both have Chicago using its first-round pick to take LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell. PFF’s Mason Cameron points out that the Bears allowed a league-worst 9.9 percent sack rate, which makes upgrading the offensive line the top priority going into the offseason. And while this team could do some heavy lifting on that front in free agency, it would be best to build that line in the trenches.

Other Bears draft notes

• Draft Network’s Justin Melo and Pro Football Network’s Reese Decker see the Bears taking Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons. It would be a major risk to take an offensive lineman coming off a significant season-ending knee injury. But Simmons was slated to be a top-rated offensive line prospect coming into this draft. Maybe the juice is worth the squeeze.

• Other prospects going Chicago’s way in Decker’s three-round mock: Arizona OL Jonah Savaiinaea (39th), Ohio State EDGE JT Tuimoloau (41st), and Tennessee DT Omarr Norman-Lott. Again … there is no denying the needs in the trenches. These drafts are kicking it old school.

• NFL Media’s Cynthia Frelund always takes an analytical slant to these types of exercises. Frelund’s model forecasts Missouri Armand Membou as the pick at No. 10. The positional need and player’s upside keep me from having strong feelings of dislike for this pick. However, I would’ve rather seen the Bears snag Michigan DT Mason Graham — who goes one pick later to the Niners.

• The Tribune’s Brad Biggs had all sorts of Senior Bowl notes when it came to the Bears and potential offensive line picks. For example, Biggs offers up the idea of the team going in a “not sexy” direction and using the No. 10 pick on Alabama guard Tyler Booker. But the biggest takeaway from Biggs is that it appears to be a bad draft for centers. GULP!

• Adam Jahns (The Athletic) puts together a 20-player watch list for the Bears come draft weekend. It is loaded with offensive and defensive linemen and has a sprinkle of running backs. What a way to tie it all back together to the theme of throwback football. I like what Dane Brugler has to say in this piece about the possibility of Chicago drafting Ashton Jeanty:

“It depends on: Where are you on your roster construction? If you’re a complete rebuilding team, does it really make sense to invest in running back in the top 15 picks? But after what you do in free agency, you drop in a stud running back, you feel like it could elevate your offense, it won’t be hard to talk yourself into Ashton Jeanty. His ability to make guys miss, create his own yardage, it’s really impressive. And then you factor in his pass catching, and it’s like, ‘OK, is this guy L.T. (LaDainian Tomlinson)? Can he have that type of impact?’”

• For what it’s worth, Jeanty seems to have the Bears in his sights as a possibility. The fit would make sense if the team was successfully able to add two starting guards and a defensive end when the league’s transactional period begins in March. Since that isn’t out of the realm of possibility, the chances of the Bears drafting a running back with a top-10 pick are higher than zero.