It's been a long time since the Chicago Bears were a playoff team, but if the way-too-early 2025 NFL Mock Draft from The Athletic's Dane Brugler is any indication of the expectations around the Bears in 2024, we could be headed for a fun January.
Brugler has the Bears selecting 18th overall, much later than any first-round draft position Chicago's had in several years. It's a fringe playoff slotting, which feels like a fair projection for where Chicago could end next season with Caleb Williams at the helm.
As or the Chicago Bears' pick? It's a good one: Kentucky defensive lineman Deone Walker.
"Every time Walker rushes the passer, it feels like the field is tilted, which allows him to charge downhill and run through road blocks using his 6-6, 350-pound frame," Brugler wrote. "Throw on the tape from the bowl game against Clemson and watch him work."
It's early for a 2025 NFL draft projection. It's really early. And, as Brugler's Mock Draft suggests, it's way too early. But if the Chicago Bears are in a position to draft Walker next year this time? Whoa baby.
Deone Walker (6'6" 348 lbs.) - Probably one of the best DL in the country this past yr. He can do anything and everything. This guy is WAY BETTER than any guy his size I've ever seen, can evade almost blocks, and occupies two blockers easily. Worth a top 5-10 pick. He's a unicorn pic.twitter.com/HnHrNlFvXI
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 29, 2024
Walker is who the Bears want Gervon Dexter to be. He's a mountain of a man who moves like a guy half his size while maintaining the strength of a grizzly bear. He will be an early first-round pick, and I find it hard to imagine a player with his traits falling out of the top 10. Maybe he'll have a bad season or suffer an unfortunate injury. But if Walker is healthy and puts together another good season of film, he'll be a highly coveted prospect.