2025 NFL Draft: Local prospects for Bears to consider

2025 NFL Draft: Local prospects for Bears to consider
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WCG’s lead draft analyst shares the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft from the Chicago area.

Almost to the point of parody, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has a penchant towards adding Chicagoland-based talent to his roster.

So much so, in fact, that the team’s content staff was able to create a video last year with five players on the roster discussing what it was like to grow up as a Bears fan. It can certainly be an added bonus if a player grew up supporting the team, hypothetically in the arena of hometown discounts or added effort playing for a team they’ve been a fan of.

Should the Bears choose to apply that approach targeting prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, there are talented Chicagoland natives who could be selected at various parts of the draft. These seven prospects stand out in particular.

Sebastian Castro, DB, Iowa

Having been an All-Big Ten member each of the last two seasons, Castro is battle-tested against some of the top talent in college football. He went to Richards High School in Oak Lawn and worked his way up from a redshirted player in 2019 to the focal point of Iowa’s defense. An intelligent processor in coverage who’s aggressive as a tackler and offers play-making mentality in the slot, he could thrive as either a nickel cornerback or a safety in the pros. Castro likely projects in the early Day 3 range with the potential to sneak into Day 2.

C.J. West, DT, Indiana

A Nazareth Academy alumnus who started off his collegiate career at Kent State, West transferred to Indiana for his 2024 season and served as a pillar for the Hoosiers’ breakout playoff campaign. He’s a heavy-handed defensive tackle with a low center of gravity and great spatial awareness against the run. He also showcases quick hands in how he stacks and sheds block at the point of attack. After reportedly standing out at the Shrine Bowl, West could make his way into Day 2 of the draft with good testing numbers.

Rylie Mills, DT, Notre Dame

Mills was one of the lynchpins of Notre Dame’s talented defense that helped propel them to the national championship this college football season. He’s coming off a season with 7.5 sacks, though his NFL potential was clear long before 2024. He has all the physical attributes needed to succeed as a defensive tackle in the pros: he’s big, he has long arms, he’s explosive off the snap, and he possesses impressive raw power. Consider him a Round 3-4 talent who could eventually work his way into a full-time starting role if developed properly.

John Williams, OT, Cincinnati

Williams was a two-year starter at Cincinnati who also stepped in for a few games during their 2021 playoff run. The Bolingbrook alumnus has graded quite well in pass protection over the years, having topped a 75.0 PFF grade in four of his seasons and an 81.0 grade in three of...