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Latest PFF ranking proves the Chicago Bears' young nucleus has a long way to go before receiving any kind of national respect

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated May 19, 2025 6:53 PM ET

The Chicago Bears still have a long way to go as an organization, even after all the strides made this offseason including the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson.

In truth, nothing matters until you win. And that's something the Bears have struggled to accomplish over the last few seasons. The foundation is there for the Bears to eventually turn some heads based on the young talent brought in but even those players haven't been able to garner much national attention.

On Monday, Pro Football Focus put out their list of top 25 elite players under 25-year-old, and to no surprise, not a single Bears' name was included on the list.

Instead, players such as Jayden Daniels, Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, Brock Bowers, and Jared Verse were including. Rightfully so, considering all five players were named to the Pro Bowl as rookies in 2024.

The NFL's best players under 25

Who is the biggest snub? pic.twitter.com/4us1ydPZAM
— PFF (@PFF) May 19, 2025

That's one of the challenges Ben Johnson and his new staff will have to face in 2025, because the Bears certainly have the talent needed to be included on such a list, it's just a matter of bringing that talent out and ultimately winning games.

For example, here's some of the top players in Chicago under 25-years-old:

QB Caleb Williams
WR Rome Odunze
RT Darnell Wright
DT Gervon Dexter Sr.
TE Colston Loveland
WR Luther Burden III

Starting with Williams, he easily has the talent to be a top QB in this league with the right system and guidance in place, and hopefully that's fixed now in 2025. Even his 2024 numbers rivaled some of the best single-season totals in franchise history.

With Odunze, the path to being a nationally recognized player is tough playing behind DJ Moore. Even still, he reached 700+ yards as a rookie despite all the misconnections and rookie mistakes as the third WR on the roster.

Wright has the clearest path to being a Pro Bowl worthy player and gaining such recognition as a top young player. He's continually improved from year to year and Ben Johnson sees a lot of Penei Sewell in his game, who ranked #1 on PFF's list. Working with Johnson in that similar role will allow Wright to surprise a lot of people.

The same goes for Gervon Dexter Sr. on the defensive side of the ball working with Dennis Allen. Dexter was a defensive standout for Chicago in 2024 totaling 5.0 sacks and 19 QB hits in his sophomore season. Being able to play all over an improved defensive line can help Dexter take yet another step further in Year 3.

And then we have the rookie class led by Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III, two versatile offensive players ready to compete for the ball in a loaded offense.

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This team has some really strong young talent. They just need to be fully unlocked with the right staff in place to earn some wins and a little respect along the way. Everyone's hoping that can finally happen in 2025 under this new staff.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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