Windy City Gridiron
The 2025 NFL combine is here! The Chicago Bears hold four of the Top 72 picks and eight picks overall. With a busy offseason expected, it’s time to dial into the draft before the start of free agency in two weeks.
Although players and team executives have already started showing up at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, the on-field fun kicks off on Thursday, February 27th. Franchises will look to start laying the groundwork on upcoming free agents while also getting more insight into their early draft boards.
For a team like the Chicago Bears, they’ll be looking to balance their free agency plans with long-term pieces in the draft. The team’s needs are clear; many will be in the trenches. The offensive line will be the primary focus, but the defensive line also needs plenty of work. From there, expect the Bears to fill out other needs that will help new head coach Ben Johnson in his quest to build out his new offense.
With the fun of the offseason about to begin, here are four positions to watch at the combine over the next week.
Reading any mock draft or free agency projection focused on the Bears and the offensive line is something everyone can agree on as this team’s most significant need in the coming months. All three Week 1 starting interior offensive linemen from last season are set to hit free agency. On top of that, Matt Pryor, who started 15 games last season, is also set to hit the market. Teven Jenkins is the biggest name set to test his value, but center Coleman Shelton also put out some quality tape over the course of last year.
Regardless of how you cut it, the Bears need to get a lot better on the interior, which needs to happen now. Jenkins’ lack of availability will likely lead to his departure in a few weeks. Shelton could be brought back on a cheaper deal, but with multiple projected upgrades in both free agency and the draft, it’s easy to assume that Chicago will wait to make a final determination on him. Pryor feels like the most likely to return on a cheap deal. General manager Ryan Poles would be wise to retain quality depth, but this would be a move with the understanding that, at best, Pryor is platooning with a rookie in training camp for a starting spot.
Unfortunately for the Bears, this isn’t a strong draft class. Most of the tackles have length concerns. Most of the genuine interior prospects are mid-to-late round values. In a more likely scenario, the Bears, like most teams, will have to look for an offensive guard who played the majority of his college snaps at tackle. Although this is not an uncommon practice, it takes a bit of projection.
With a brand new coaching staff at the helm, it’ll take some time for fans to understand what they’ll look for regarding traits. Even so, it’s easy...
