The 2025 NFL off-season is officially underway. The Chicago Bears will now begin their plan to upgrade and improve their football team. Many positions on the team can use improvement, including the edge rusher, nearly every position on the offensive line, and some depth at wide receiver and in the secondary.
With the 2025 NFL draft coming up in a couple of months, the biggest question is what Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson want to do first. There are so many potential options for the first round of the draft.
They can try to take an edge rusher to boost the defensive line, they can trade down from the 10th pick to still get a solid player but also get more draft capital, and they could take an offensive lineman that could be available at the 10th pick.
ESPN‘s Field Yates has posted his latest mock draft, and he has the Bears drafting a significant name that would boost the offensive line.
Field Yates has the Chicago Bears drafting Kelvin Banks Jr.
Yates projects the Bears to draft former Texas Longhorn Kelvin Banks Jr. in the 2025 draft. Banks was the starting left tackle for the Longhorns. He was a member of the All Big-12 team in 2023.
In 2024, Banks was named First Team All-SEC and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy. He also won the Outland Trophy which is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football and also won the Lombardi Award which is given to the best lineman in college football.
Yates had this to say about the young prospect:
“As the Bears work to get the best version of Caleb Williams under new play-caller Ben Johnson, they’ll need to invest signifcantly on the offensive line. Williams took more sacks than any other quarterback in the NFL this past year. (68)
Banks has very good footwork and balance for a player of his 320-pound size, and I believe his extensive experience (42 starts) will make for a smoother transition in the NFL. He gave up only 4 pressures on 510 pass-blocking attempts in 2024, one of the lowest pressure percentages allowed by an FBS lineman. A lack of length has some convinced he’d be a better guard than tackle in the NFL, but I see the skil of a starter at left tackle.”
Banks has an incredibly impressive resume and would be a great fit for the Bears.
Banks would be a massive boost to the struggling Bears’ OL
If the Bears do end up taking Banks, there are still many options for what they can do to this offensive line. They will likely still use free agency to bring in a new guard. Trey Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs would be a great option if the Chiefs cannot resign him. If Banks does become the starting left tackle in Chicago, where could they move Braxton Jones to?
Braxton Jones has still been a solid player when healthy. When he was injured in 2024, the Bears’ offensive line looked even worse without him. Johnson could potentially shuffle him to right guard or make him a swing tackle.
Either way, the offensive line is the top priority for this off-season. Protecting your young quarterback is a must. Having an elite offensive line would do wonders for Johnson’s offense, as that was a key to his success with the Detroit Lions.
It’ll be interesting to see how Poles and the Bears attack this in the off-season.
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