Another Sunday, another horrendous gut-punch for Chicago Bears fans. This time, it was at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, who upended Chicago 38-13 in a one-sided butt-kicking.
Naturally, the only remedy for the Bears faithful's pain this time of year is to look ahead to the NFL Draft.
The 2025 NFL Draft was supposed to be different for Bears fans. This was a draft class that was supposed to be about adding the last few pieces to a playoff-ready roster. Yet, here we are with four games left to play, and Chicago feels as far away from playoff contention as they have at any point in the Ryan Poles era.
Perhaps it's because the Bears are going through the first year of a rookie quarterback curve. Bumps and turbulence was expected. But, let's be real: did anyone think the 2024 season would be this painful?
Still, the future remains bright for Chicago. Caleb Williams is a stud, Rome Odunze is trending in the right direction, and Darnell Wright is a legitimate bookend offensive tackle. That's three 'hits' in the first round of the last two NFL Drafts. Conventional wisdom suggests the Bears will go back to the well on offense in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft to enhance the offensive line, but this is mock draft season, after all. Conventional wisdom doesn't apply.
Take the latest 2025 mock draft from CBS Sports, for example. In that mock draft, the Chicago Bears choose the pass rush over pass protection and select Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with the ninth overall pick.
"Georgia has a history of producing insane athletes, and Mykel Williams may end up being the best of the group," CBS Sports Ryan Wilson wrote. "He's a first-round talent all day long, and he could end up being one of the first defenders off the board in April."
Williams' production doesn't jump off the stat sheet, much like many Georgia pass rushers before him. He has five sacks in 11 games in 2024, topping his previous career-high of 4.5 in each of the last two years.
The 6'5, 265-pound super athlete has all the tools to become a top-tier edge rusher in the NFL, but he remains projection over production. That projection, though? There aren't many players with his size, length, and freaky athleticism available in the first round, which is why he'll be a top-10 pick.
Mykel Williams is an enticing projection to the next level as his size/length, power, and athleticism, has molded him into a versatile player on a defensive front, with evident traits and flashes on tape.
— NTB_43 (@NTB_43) December 6, 2024
Though his production is subpar, it’s difficult to find these profiles. pic.twitter.com/3q0VV85Fzl
Bears must invest a first-round pick into the offensive line
I get the appeal of drafting an edge rusher like Williams. Still, there's only one primary objective that Poles should have entering this year's NFL Draft: invest premium draft capital on offensive linemen. Yes, I said linemen... as in several.
I usually don't subscribe to taking need over value in the first round, but enough is enough in Chicago. The Bears can never again field an offensive line as bad as the one on display in 2024. Williams has already been sacked in one season more than any Bears QB in franchise history, and there are still four games left to play. It's inexcusable, and if Poles doesn't use the team's first-round pick on a starting offensive lineman, he should hit the unemployment line.
CBS Sports' mock draft would be a heartbreaker for Bears fans. The pick immediately before Chicago's is Will Campbell, the talented LSU offensive tackle who goes to the Cleveland Browns at No. 8 overall. He would be a fantastic selection because of his projection as a successful guard or tackle in the NFL.
The next two offensive tackles off the board in this mock draft are Josh Simmons (Ohio State) to the 49ers at No. 17 overall and Aireontae Ersery (Minnesota) to the Rams one pick later at No. 18. That makes a total of four offensive tackles currently projected as a first-round pick (at least, they are in this mock draft) when factoring Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) who's the first one off the board at No. 6 to the Titans.
Would it be a reach to select an offensive tackle in the top 10 picks if it isn't Banks or Campbell? Sure. But that's what desperate times call for, even if it's an NFL draft sin.