Two posts ago, I ranked possible scenarios for the Bears at #10, ranging from a superstar inexplicably dropping to #10 all the way to desperately trading up for a non-star. In my last post, I evaluated the value proposition attached to five of the most realistic trade scenarios for the Bears.
Here, I'm going to take a simpler approach, ranking the plausible Bears choices at #10 from my favorite to least favorite. So, you won't see Miami QB Cam Ward on here -- the Bears aren't replacing Caleb Williams. You won't see West Virginia LT Wyatt Milum either -- I love Milum but he's not going in the top-10. This exercise is much cleaner than most mock drafts I run. It's easy. If the Bears stay at #10, I'd be most excited to see the player ranked at #1 below and least excited to see the players at the bottom of the list.
Away we go!
- Penn State DE Abdul Carter
- Rationale: Carter is a superstar at a premium position where the Bears could use a key young piece. Carter is a tad undersized at 6'3", 250 lbs., but it's awfully easy to ignore that when you consider (i) he ran an incredible 4.48 40 at that size while also broad jumping an outrageous 10'7", (ii) 2024 was his first year as a DE, yet he was a unanimous All-American, and (iii) his burst is nearly unmatched. He even comes with position flexibility given his time at OLB at Penn State.
- Plausibility: LOL, even with his foot and shoulder injuries slowly him in 2025.
- Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter
- Rationale: The Bears don't have particular needs at WR or CB, per se, but Hunter is the type of football player where you take him when you can and figure out things like roster fit later. Hunter is a star WR and a superstar CB, seemingly with the ability to play 80-90 snaps a game. I assume that Hunter pushes to play WR full-time while spending most defensive 3rd downs on the field.
- Plausibility: LOL, part two.
- Michigan DT Mason Graham
- Rationale: Graham is the ideal long-term solution for the Bears at the 3-technique spot. Graham is somehow explosive, quick, and a mauler, all at the same time. His weight is a bit confusing, having been listed at 320 lbs. while weighing in at just 296 lbs. recently. Regardless, Graham has the look of a decade-long cornerstone piece up front. While Grady Jarrett was signed to fill that spot in 2025 and 2026, Jarrett would instead serve as a useful cog in a top-notch four-man rotation comprised of Jarrett, Graham, Gervon Dexter Sr., and Andrew Billings. After routinely playing 800 snaps a year, Jarrett is probably better served as a 500-600 snap per year player in his 30s.
- Plausibility: Long shot, but not inconceivable.
- LSU LT Will Campbell
- Rationale: Campbell was a day-one start at LSU. He has ultra-elite athleticism, posting a 9.89 RAS fueled by speed and explosion. His frame is above-average for an NFL OT. He's young, having just turned 21. He should be a slam-dunk top-five pick. Ah, but those arms. Campbell's arms measured at just 32.6", well below average for an NFL OT and, for some teams, too short to consider. The Bears may be once such team: their three current OTs all have much longer arms with Braxton Jones (35.375"), Darnell Wright (33.75"), and Kiran Amegadjie (36.125") notably exceeding Campbell. So why is Campbell on here? Easy: he's either a star at LT or a star at LG who can serve as the top interior backup in 2025 before sliding into Joe Thuney's spot in 2026 and sticking around for a long time. He's a surefire NFL stud...somewhere.
- Plausibility: Pretty unlikely, but there's a world where Campbell gets to #10.
- Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
- Rationale: Jeanty is a fast, explosive bowling ball. I don't recall seeing a prospect like him previously. I've gone into plenty of detail on Jeanty in earlier posts, so here, I'll leave it at this: Jeanty can be the focal point of an offense from the jump. While he's stylistically different from Saquon Barkley, he's the first RB since Barkley that appears to justify such a high selection.
- Plausibility: More unlikely than likely to reach #10, but there's a real chance.
- Penn State TE Tyler Warren
- Rationale: Warren is so darn fun. He'd be a joy to watch. I'm not sure that he'll ever be an elite athlete at the TE spot, but that doesn't really matter. Warren is a plug-and-play starter who can play in-line, in the slot, outside, and even in the backfield. He can go under center in short yardage situations. His outrageous catch radius will serve as a boon to his QB. And Warren's ability to get open plays in all schemes.
- Plausibility: Coin flip.
- Marshall DE Mike Green
- Rationale: Green has a pair of sexual assault accusations on his resume, so he could be a non-starter for the Bears. If the Bears are satisfied that these issues were properly addressed, however, Green has the kind of top-level ceiling that is tough to ignore. Green is explosive and fast. He might be a bit undersized right now, but the pass rushing ability should play from the start as he grows into a larger build to play 4-3 DE.
- Plausibility: Green is very likely to be available, but will the Bears have him on their board?
- Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen
- Rationale: Nolen lacks Graham's day-one potential. However, he otherwise has a very similar profile, dripping in explosion and speed with his true DT frame. He's the other top 3-tech option in this class. The fact that he might need a year to step into that role isn't a problem given Jarrett's presence.
- Plausibility: Nolen will probably be available at #10.
- Texas A&M DE Shemar Stewart
- Rationale: Is Stewart good at football? I don't know! He's certainly not among the 10 best football players in this class right now. However, the traits are there for Stewart to be an All-Pro with a 10.00 RAS as part of his big, long build. He's a tick slower than Montez Sweat was coming out of Mississippi State, but notably more explosive. This is a bet on potential and a vote of confidence in DL Coach Jeremy Garrett.
- Plausibility: Stewart will more likely than not be available.
- Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan
- Rationale: McMillan is an elite prospect with a true WR1 profile. Given the free agent dollars flowing to WRs, McMillan is a tantalizing option. But the Bears have huge investments into D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze already; can they really afford another big dip at WR?
- Plausibility: I have no idea. McMillan could go in the top-five or last into the late teens.
- Missouri WR Luther Burden
- Rationale: Burden's frame is much different than McMillan's, but he's still a star prospect, especially in the current NFL with its enforcement of illegal contact and defensive holding penalties. Burden can be a different type of WR1 in Moore's mold.
- Plausibility: I'll be very surprised if Burden comes off the board before #10. The Bears should have a shot at him.
- Georgia DE Mykel Williams
- Rationale: Williams looks like a plug-and-play 4-3 DE. Williams has a Sweat-like frame, very long arms (34.375"), and enough speed to be a good starter. He doesn't have great pass rushing results yet, and the fact that he's a good run defender probably isn't as helpful to the Bears as it might be to some other teams.
- Plausibility: I expect Williams to make it to #10.
- Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell
- Rationale: LB positional value is way down these days and Campbell isn't a generational MIKE prospect. The value proposition is tough. However, Campbell is a great looking MIKE prospect who can play the more limited SAM role in 2025 before stepping in for Tremaine Edmunds to run the defense in 2026 onward. He's probably too much of a luxury here, but dang, he looks good.
- Plausibility: I'll be very surprised if Campbell goes in the top nine picks.
- Michigan DT Kenneth Grant
- Rationale: Ugh. Kaytron Allen. Kenneth Grant running him down really ruined a Saturday for me. Grant is a freakish athlete, moving like a much smaller man despite his 340 lbs. lane-clogging frame. He might be a two-down player in the NFL, but he'd be one helluva two-down player!
- Plausibility: It'd be a shocker to see Grant go in the top nine.
- Texas LT Kelvin Banks Jr.
- Rationale: Banks has had a weird draft season. He has slipped over time, but I'm not certain why. He's gigantic yet moves reasonably well. However, his arms are a tick short (33.5"), he doesn't move quite as well as I'd like, and his athletic testing was merely very good across the board instead of elite. There's a ton to like here; there's just not quite enough to love for this to be the most exciting option.
- Plausibility: Banks will probably make it to #10, but he could go a few picks earlier.
- Ohio State LT Josh Simmons
- Rationale: Simmons is awesome with shorter-than-ideal arms (33") and a torn patellar in October 2024. Without the injury, however, Simmons is probably in the Will Campbell tier. Factor in the injury and some time is staring at potentially great value for biting off just a bit of extra risk.
- Plausibility: Simmons will make it to #10.
- Georgia S Malaki Starks
- Rationale: Starks looks great on the football field, but he really underwhelmed in shorts. I'm not a big fan of taking a S this high, especially considering the bevy of quality options available in later rounds. Adding in the issues with Starks' athletic profile pushes me away from him, but I do acknowledge that he could be a dawg in the back of the defense.
- Plausibility: Starks will most likely make it to #10.
- Missouri RT Armand Membou
- Rationale: Whew. I could write a lot about Membou. The dude is a superstar athlete with crazy speed and explosion. His arms are just a bit shorter than ideal (33.5"), but the much larger concern is that Membou played all but one of his collegiate snaps at RT. The Bears simply don't need a RT. So, they could move him to RG...where they just extended Jonah Jackson. Or LT...where he has never played. There's a lot of risk with Membou.
- Plausibility: I think it's quite likely that Membou is gone by the time the Bears pick.
- Michigan TE Colston Loveland
- Rationale: Loveland is really darn good. He's a tremendous athlete with explosive gameplay that shows up in games, even against top competition. He's this low, however, because he reminds me more of Cole Kmet than Tyler Warren. I don't think Loveland has the look of an in-line TE from the jump. He could get there, but so can a few of the TEs expected to be available 50 picks later.
- Plausibility: I'll be stunned it Loveland is gone.
- Tennessee DE James Pearce Jr.
- Rationale: Pearce looks great. He's explosive, fast, and productive. But he's a pure 3-4 OLB given his 6'5", 243 lbs. frame. Drafting Pearce requires thinking his frame can handle another 20 lbs. and rather quickly. I just don't see it.
- Plausibility: Pearce will probably make it to #10, but he could go earlier.
- Michigan CB Will Johnson
- Rationale: The top CB in this class for the last two years, Campbell struggled with injury issues in 2024, causing him to slip a bit. He still has a CB1 ceiling with an ideal frame to play in zone defenses. I think that Johnson would be a poor allocation of resources for the Bears, but the ceiling is elite.
- Plausibility: Johnson will probably be available at #10.
- Texas CB Jahdae Barron
- Rationale: All of the same things about Johnson, only Barron is a bit lighter and a few inches shorter.
- Plausibility: Barron will probably be available at #10.
- North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton
- Rationale: Hampton is a great RB prospect. He's big, fast, explosive, strong, and good at football. He does just about everything the Bears could want. But he doesn't appear to have skills that are so exceptional as to justify taking him at #10 over the bevy of backs who will be available a round or two later.
- Plausibility: Hampton will be available.
- Texas WR Matthew Golden
- Rationale: Golden is fast. Very fast. Crazy fast. He's a productive WR and return man. But he's quite slight and probably can't play on the outside given his lack of strength. I don't think the Bears can justify a bit player at #10.
- Plausibility: Golden will be there.
- Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson
- Rationale: Henderson is like Hampton, only a wee bit smaller. There's probably some prospect fatigue with him given his many years of explosive production at Ohio State, so don't forget that he's always been an awesome prospect.
- Plausibility: Henderson will be available at #10, as he should be.
- Anyone else (South Carolina S Nick Emmanwori, Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka, Oregon DT Derrick Harmon, North Dakota State OT Grey Zabel, Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins, and Georgia LB Jalon Walker)
- Rationale: Emmanwori is the most interesting name on this list. He could be the next Kyle Hamilton, but only if he gets much better at reading plays. Egbuka is a great WR prospect, but I don't think he's special enough to jump here. The others are all really good prospects that would be great in the 2nd round, except for Walker; Walker is a bad fit for the Bears' defense.
- Plausibility: They'll all be available.
Not knowing how to end this article, I ran one more mock draft. Here's a final one for you to enjoy!
I promise that this is the first one I ran upon reaching the end of this article. From my keyboard to God's ears, please! (but maybe without the crazy run on OL that left me speechless)
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