Chicago Bears have good chance to do something for first time since 2018

The Chicago Bears have a good problem on their hands when the time comes to make the tenth overall selection in April’s draft. There is a need in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and with new head coach Ben Johnson running the show now, a prospect like Ashton Jeanty should not be off the table either.

With three new offensive linemen and an edge rusher at the top of the to-do list for general manager Ryan Poles to add for 2025, there are plenty of different ways he can attack the offseason. If the front office does go with a defensive player in round one, it would be the first time they will have made such a selection in quite a while.

The Chicago Bears haven’t picked a defensive player early since 2018

Linebacker Roquan Smith was the last defensive player that Chicago took in the first round, and that was way back in 2018. Since then, the offensive side of the ball has been the primary focus early, despite the team consistently struggling with that unit on a yearly basis.

Even though there are offensive and defensive needs moving forward, the edge rushing position is simply one that cannot be ignored for another offseason. There hasn’t been much effort to address the pass-rushing unit since Montez Sweat was acquired in 2023.

Sweat needs some help getting to the quarterback, and despite the Bears not being certain on where they will go in the first round, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin points out some metrics that prove Sweat can’t do everything by himself.

“The Bears have major needs to address in the trenches, so it’s fair to say Chicago using its first-round selection on a pass rusher is at 50%,” Cronin writes. 

“When asked about top defensive end Montez Sweat’s disappointing season (5.5 sacks), general manager Ryan Poles said adding more talent is the best way to defeat the number of double-teams and chips that Sweat receives. Creating more one-on-one matchups would allow Chicago’s pass rush win rate to improve from its 37% finish in 2024, which was a slight step up from the previous season but still ranked 24th in the NFL.”

While Sweat was hurt throughout this past year, the constant double-teams he faced did not help. As Cronin mentioned, the Chicago Bears having a pass rush win rate below 40% did not rank well in 2024 despite being an upgrade from the year prior. The standard for this defense should be getting to the quarterback early and often, which calls for some changes before training camp gets underway.

Interior line and edge rushing needs are what the Bears could address

The defensive line options should be pretty wide open for the Chicago Bears in the first round if that is the route they intend to go. Even with edge rusher being a massive need, there are strong interior defensive linemen to consider in the first round if the front office doesn’t like any of the pass-rushing prospects available at No. 10.

From an interior standpoint, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant from Michigan are two guys to keep an eye on. Graham had 46 total tackles in his final season as a Wolverine to go along with 3.5 sacks. Grant had 3 sacks himself to pair with 32 total tackles in 2024.

Three edge rushers not named Abdul Carter to pay attention to are Jalon Walker, Nic Scourton and James Pearce Jr. Carter would be the dream selection for the Bears in the first, but having him on the roster will likely require Chicago to trade up.

Walker finished his final season at Georgia with 6.5 sacks and 11 total in his last two years as a Bulldog. Scourton is seen as an under-the-radar prospect in the first round. The Texas A&M Aggie completed his three-year collegiate career with 17 sacks. Pearce Jr. was an early favorite to be the top pick in the draft last summer. His stock has fallen in the last eight months, but he still should land in the first round. In his final season at Tennessee, he collected 7.5 sacks and had 38 total tackles.

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