The 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and with it comes the hope that the Chicago Bears will land a cornerstone player in the first round at No. 10 overall.
Speculation about who that player might be has run wild as the days before the draft shrink, but when GM Ryan Poles is on the clock on April 24, we might end up right back where we started.
You know the narrative by now: the Bears began the 2025 NFL offseason with a glaring need along the offensive line. All three interior positions needed to be flipped, and with starting left tackle Braxton Jones suffering a serious leg injury in December, his position is expected to be up for grabs this summer.
Poles went to work early in transaction season and traded for two starting guards. He struck quickly in free agency and signed the top center available on the open market.
And with all that activity has come this sense of confidence among Bears fans; the offensive line appears to be settled. But that's not really the case. Jones is still in the middle of a very long recovery, and only Kiran Amegajdie, a third-round pick from the Ivy League in 2024, is set to compete with him.
According to CHGO's Adam Hoge, who attended the NFL Owners Meetings, the Bears might not share that same sense of confidence that the O-line is complete.
“Poles was very candid on Hoge & Jahns about potentially adding another left tackle to the mix, and with Braxton Jones likely to be limited into training camp, it would be surprising if Kiran Amegadjie doesn’t have any other legitimate competition during the offseason program,” Hoge wrote. “Will Campbell, come on down? The arm-length debate will continue to rage, but my instincts tell me the Bears will seriously consider the LSU left tackle at No. 10 if he’s still available.”
Whether it's Campbell, Missouri's Armand Membou, or even Ohio State's Josh Simmons, left tackle should remain atop the Bears' big board until further notice. It would be a shame for Poles to ignore Caleb Williams' blindside after the masterful job he's done to fix the rest of his pass protection.
Offensive lines are only as strong as their weakest link, which right now is left tackle for the Bears. So, why wouldn't Poles use his first-round pick on potentially the first offensive lineman off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft?
I have my doubts about whether that first O-lineman will be Campbell, who, despite his incredible football character, has serious questions about whether his physical limitations (arm length) will allow him to play left tackle at a high level in the NFL.
Regardless, I think Hoge is on the money. The Chicago Bears will seriously consider a left tackle, and the only way I think Poles moves off that first-round strategy is if Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty happens to fall to No. 10.
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