Chicago Bears 2025 Draft Picks Analysis & Grades

GRADE: B

Luther Burden Receiving & Rushing Stats

			Rece	Rece	Rece	Rece	Rece	Rush	Rush	Rush	Rush
Season	Team	G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Y/G	Att	Yds	Y/A	TD
2022*	Missouri	13	45	375	8.3	6	28.8	18	88	4.9	2
2023*	Missouri	13	86	1212	14.1	9	93.2	7	31	4.4	0
2024*	Missouri	12	61	676	11.1	6	56.3	9	115	12.8	2
Care	Care	38	192	2263	11.8	21	59.6	34	234	6.9	4

The Bears are now completely stacked at wide receiver with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, plus Burden was a consensus 1st Round pick making his selection in the 2nd Round a terrific value.  That being said, I had mocked the Bears getting Treveyon Henderson, and I have to wonder whether that might have filled a more significant need taking a running back here.  Regardless, Caleb Williams should have everything he needs now to move the chains.

Pick 62

Shemar Turner – DT – Texas A&M

Shemar Turner is definitely incredibly versatile as he played all over the defensive front at Texas A&M.  He tallied 6 sacks, 36 pressures and 11 TFLs from inside in 2023, and in spite of playing through a stress fracture in 2024, still got 20 pressures and 2 sacks.  He joins a defensive line that already added DT Grady Jarrett and Odeyingbo last month.

Regardless of this, there’s concern that Turner doesn’t have the mass to play as a full-time interior player as he has issues getting off blocks and is vulnerable to double teams. And unfortunately, he had just a 6.2% pass rush win rate in his last season.  It remains to be seen if he improves at the next level, but he’s certainly a high motor player that may get a shot at starting at some point.

GRADE: B-

Round 5

Pick 169

Zah Frazier – CB – UTSA

Frazier has great speed running the fifth-fastest 40 for the corners at the combine (4.36) and perfect size for a corner at 6-foot-3- and 33-inch-long arms.  He also has a terrific story, working his way up from Southern Illinois, Coffeyville Community College and UTSA to the Bears. Plus, he’s terrific at finding the ball and tied for second in the FBS with 6 interceptions in 2024.  That said, he’s only produced that one year and doesn’t have much else to show from the rest of his college career.

Getting some support in the secondary makes sense, but Chicago doesn’t actually have room for defensive back on the depth chart, so he’ll likely be relegated to special teams with some use as a rotational piece.  There’s some risk here and some question regarding need, but there’s certainly some potential for the future.

GRADE: B-

Round 6

Pick 195

Luke Newman – G – Michigan State

The Bears continued to build depth on the offensive line, which of course is a good idea, but there are some limitations for Luke Newman.  On the plus side, Newman is a four-year starter spending his first 3 years at Holy Cross as a left tackle where he only allowed 5 pressures in 2023. Newman moved to Michigan State for his final season, where he started every game as the left guard, allowing only 9 pressures on 417 pass-blocking snaps against Big Ten opponents.

There’s certainly some solid good value getting Newman in the 6th Round, but his apparent lack of length and power, and his limitation working in run schemes that don’t require him to move defenders may impact his ability to immediately contribute.

GRADE: B

Round 7

Pick 233

Kyle Monangai – RB – Rutgers

I was in favor of the Bears adding a running back way before the 7th Round, but if it had to be a late pick, Kyle Monangai makes a lot of sense.

The three-year starter is a bit undersized at 5-foot-8 and 209 pounds, but he’s built low to the ground with excellent footwork and agility, plus he has zero career fumbles over 676 carries.  Monangai had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Rutgers, and in 2024, had a career-best 1,279 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had 66 missed tackles forced with 862 of his rush yards coming after contact.  Add in the fact that he’s terrific at picking blocks in pass protection, and you can imagine how he might be able to contribute quickly.