Grading the Chicago Bears' 2025 NFL Draft Class

Colston Loveland's rookie season might not have started with a bang, but it certainly ended with one. He was the league's most productive tight end over the past month and, despite playing in only two playoff games, set a record for most receiving yards in the postseason for a rookie tight end.

He was also the top-graded rookie according to Pro Football Focus. He was also Caleb Williams' favorite target down the stretch. He was also the first rookie to lead the Bears in receiving since 1983. He was also... well worth the tenth overall pick in the draft. He'd probably go even higher if the nine teams picking ahead of Chicago had a do-over. Who's Tyler Warren, anyway? Never heard of him.

Loveland is a future All-Pro.

Round 2, Pick 39 - Luther Burden III: A

Speaking of PFF darlings, Luther Burden III also certainly fits that description. It's not hard to see why that's the case, either. While Burden also struggled to make an impact early in the season (the coaching staff didn't want to put too much on any of the rookies' plates before they were ready), he became a valuable contributor as the season progressed.

Burden finished the year with 47 catches for 652 yards and was electric whenever he got the ball in his hands. While he still needs to clean up a few areas of his game (the occasional drops and his ability to get off press at the line of scrimmage), he showed more than enough promise to warrant his draft slot. He would be selected much earlier if teams were granted a mulligan. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that there's no way he would've made it past Green Bay's first-round selection at 23rd overall.

Round 2, Pick 56 - Ozzy Trapilo: B+

Ozzy Trapilo's ascension was one of the most promising developments of the entire season. He got written off by virtually everyone (myself included) after failing to grab the starting left tackle job out of training camp. Not only did he fail to supplant Braxton Jones early in the season, but he was actually moved to the right side (where he played in college) to back up Darnell Wright. Former undrafted free agent Theo Benedet was playing over him on the left side. I thought he was quickly going down the road of being a bust. Oh, how wrong I was...

Trapilo got a chance to show what he can do on the left side after Benedet went down ahead of the Week 12 matchup against the Steelers, and made the most of it. He played well enough to maintain the starting job for the rest of the season. The rookie fortified the one spot along the offensive line that had been a clear weakness. Unfortunately, Trapilo ruptured his patellar tendon late in the Bears' Wild Card Round matchup against Green Bay (and still managed to hobble off the field so they didn't have to burn a timeout). Ryan Poles confirmed that he would be on the shelf until late next season (at the earliest).

It was no doubt an unfortunate end to a promising second half of the season, but Trapilo definitely deserves his flowers. He will hopefully be able to bounce back strong and regain the starting job once he is healthy.

Round 2, Pick 62 - Shemar Turner: Incomplete

Shemar Turner only played 74 defensive snaps across his five games this season. He suffered a torn ACL against the Ravens in Week 8. The second-round pick showed flashes (specifically playing on the edge against the run) before getting hurt, but the sample size is far too small to give him a grade.

Round 4, Pick 132 - Ruben Hyppolite II: F

Ruben Hyppolite II also had a small sample size this season. However, unlike Turner, his absence from the field wasn't related to an injury (besides when Darnell Washington turned him into roadkill against the Steelers). It was because he was a raw fourth-round selection who looked much more like a pre-draft workout warrior than an NFL-ready linebacker. He only played 31 defensive snaps this season (despite being a healthy member of Chicago's depleted linebacker room late in the year) and was a healthy scratch from Week 15 onward.

While it's too soon to write off Hyppolite, the fact of the matter is that he was already behind the eight-ball, being a 24-year-old rookie. He will have to hit the weight room and bounce back strong to remain on the roster for the 2026 NFL season.

Round 5, Pick 169 - Zah Frazier: Incomplete

Frazier was placed on the non-football injury list before the season began. He will hopefully be able to contribute next season after posting a positive injury update earlier this month.

Round 6, Pick 195 - Luke Newman: B

Luke Newman only played 25 offensive snaps this season, but the rook held his own in a tough matchup (against the Steelers stout defensive front) when forced to do so. Again, it's difficult to give an accurate grade due to the lack of a sample size, but I'm giving Newman the benefit of the doubt. I'm also tired of handing out incompletes.

I'd also mention that he played really well in the preseason, but I fear that would make me look like a casual. So I won't do that. I definitely won't do that. Newman gets an arbitrary B.

Round 7, Pick 233 - Kyle Monangai: A+(+)

Kyle Monangai was one of the biggest steals in the entire NFL Draft. There were countless questions surrounding the fate of the Bears' running back room after they failed to address the position before the seventh round. Monangai promptly answered those concerns with authority (as did D'Andre Swift, to his credit).

Monangai may have split time with Swift, but he still managed to put up 783 yards and five touchdowns on the ground with another 164 yards through the air. His production was right up there with the top backs in an absolutely loaded running back class despite being the 22nd RB off the board. The Bears wouldn't have had the league's third-ranked rushing attack without Monangai's efforts. Not bad for a late seventh-round pick.