2025 NFL Draft could spell trouble for these 4 Chicago Bears players

The 2025 NFL Draft will be the beginning of a new chapter for an incoming class of Chicago Bears players, starting in the first round with the 10th overall pick. And while there will be an incredible wave of excitement inside and outside of Halas Hall for whoever the next first-round beacon of hope is, there will be a similar wave of doom and despair for a veteran whose job might've been lost.

It's the unfortunate reality of the NFL Draft. As one player's career begins, a veteran's gets derailed. Several Bears veterans won't be immune to this rite of passage in 2025, and there are four who immediately come to mind.

Here are the four Chicago Bears veterans who have the most to lose in the 2025 NFL Draft.

D'Andre Swift, RB

If Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty slides to the Bears in the first round, Swift's time as Chicago's starting running back will have officially lasted just one season. Jeanty is the biggest threat to every veteran starting running back entering the 2025 NFL Draft; whichever team selects him is also anointing him the Day 1 starter.

But Swift has more than just Jeanty to worry about.

Even if Jeanty doesn't last to the 10th pick, the Bears are expected to use one of their two second-round selections on a starting-quality running back. Prospects like Kaleb Johnson (Iowa) and TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State) could both be in play, and if Ryan Poles pulls the trigger on either of them, Swift's starting job will be very much up in the air.

Braxton Jones, LT

Jones is in a tough spot right now. He's working his way back from a serious leg injury at the end of last season as he enters a critical contract year. He's been an incredible find for Poles as a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but after an offseason focused on rebuilding the offensive line, left tackle remains the only question mark yet to receive a massive investment.

That could change in the first round. The Bears have consistently been a team that's targeted an offensive tackle in most 2025 mock drafts, whether it be Will Campbell (LSU) or Armand Membou (Missouri). The only thing that could prevent Chicago from drafting either blindside protector is, well, neither of them being on the board when the Bears are on the clock.

If either or both of them are? Jones' time as the Bears' unquestioned starter at left tackle might be over.

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Olamide Zaccheaus, WR

One of the newest Chicago Bears could also be one whose role in 2025 is in the most trouble. The Bears signed Zaccheaus to compete for starter's reps as a slot receiver, but rumors have been swirling around Chicago targeting a potential inside pass catcher in the second round.

Rookie wide receivers tend to experience a bit of a learning curve once they enter the NFL, so Zaccheaus would still have a chance to make his mark early in 2025. But if the Bears use the 39th or 41st pick on a wideout, his time as a starter will be short-lived.

Cole Kmet, TE

I never would've imagined listing Kmet as a Bears veteran with a lot to lose in the 2025 NFL Draft, but here we are.

The Bears have been linked to Penn State tight end Tyler Warren in recent weeks, and if he's the player they snag with the 10th overall pick, questions about Kmet's future in Chicago will begin.

Sure, Ben Johnson will find a way to use Kmet and Warren together in 2025, but with Kmet's dead cap hit dropping to just $3.2 million next offseason, he'd immediately become an obvious salary-cap target a year from now. It's difficult envisioning the Bears tying up so much money into the tight end position, making Kmet a dead man walking.