The 2025 NFL draft is less than two weeks away, and many teams are beginning to put the finishing touches on their preparations. The Chicago Bears, after a strong body of work in free agency, are looking to keep up the momentum, and they have recently been predicted to swing a blockbuster trade to move up the board.
The Bears have revamped their team from the top down, starting at head coach, where Ben Johnson has replaced Thomas Brown, who was filling in for Matt Eberflus after he was fired midway through the 2024 campaign. Quarterback Caleb Williams recently made it clear that things were not good during Eberflus’ stint in charge. “How (Eberflus) handled it at that time, for that game, was, I think, one of the things that throughout the locker room people talked about and were annoyed by,” Williams said of how Eberflus handled the Bears crushing Week 7 loss to the Washington Commanders. Things are looking up in Chicago for the time being, though, and that could continue with a strong draft.
In a recent mock draft by Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports, he believes that the Bears will trade with the New York Giants to move up to the No. 3 overall pick and select Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter. “There aren’t too many obvious trade scenarios at the top of this draft, but what if the Giants aren’t convinced that Sanders should be their franchise passer, or that Carter is the right choice given the presence of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux?
The Bears filled all of their biggest needs in free agency and via trade freeing them up to send both of their early second-rounders to the G-Men (and getting back a late third-rounder) to land an elite pass rusher,” Easterling wrote in his mock draft. Carter starred for Penn State in 2024, racking up 68 tackles (24 for a loss), 12 sacks, four passes batted, and two forced fumbles. If the Bears want Carter, they would have to swing a big deal to move up into the top three or four picks, as he’s not expected to fall past the New England Patriots, who hold the No. 4 overall pick.