For those seeking clues to how the first round of the NFL draft will unfold Thursday night, understand this much: Miami quarterback Cam Ward is a near shoo-in to be picked No. 1 by the Tennessee Titans. And Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado almost certainly will hear his name called next by the Cleveland Browns.
Beyond that? Uncertainty is at the front door. And knocking hard.
“I think this one’s going to be a little wild,” Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Tuesday. “But we’re going to be prepared for all the different scenarios that pop up.”
It takes only one surprise twist for the draft’s path to veer, for teams to react to how their options have changed. And for Poles and the Bears, owners of the No. 10 pick, the night could become a surprise party.
“It could get wild,” assistant GM Ian Cunningham reiterated. “Sit back and watch. We have no feel right now.”
If practicality and patience win out, the Bears can easily stay put and pick at No. 10. No matter what happens over the draft’s first hour, the menu of available prospects should be intriguing.
Maybe a sturdy offensive tackle such as Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. makes sense. A standout tight end such as Penn State’s Tyler Warren or Michigan’s Colston Loveland? What about a potential-filled edge rusher, perhaps Georgia’s Mykel Williams or Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart? All could be in play at No. 10.
Or what if there’s an elite player whom Poles, Cunningham and coach Ben Johnson have decided they just can’t live without, a prospect the Bears might have to spend a little more draft capital on in order to get?
Ashton Jeanty, anyone? Mason Graham? Jalon Walker?
What factors could prompt an aggressive trade up at Halas Hall?
“Depends on what the cost is,” Cunningham said, “who the player is, the value — all those sorts of things. We’re weighing those (factors) right now.”
Loosely translated: That door hasn’t been shut. Nor has the one that leads to a trade down. Poles senses that, leaguewide, the draft wave may have many teams surfing around the board more than usual — if not Thursday night then certainly during Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday.
“I think there is going to be a lot more movement than there has been in the past,” Poles said.
For months the Bears have looked at the credits in their draft account — seven selections total, four in the top 72 — with belief they have a golden opportunity to accelerate their contention timeline.
Many evaluators agree the quality of this draft class remains strong through the first 80 prospects or so. That means the Bears can quickly strengthen their depth chart with some calculated maneuvering.
Johnson, in particular, seems giddy to see what the Bears can accomplish with their three Day 2 picks at Nos. 39, 41 and 72.
NFL mock draft 3.0: Who will the Chicago Bears select with their top 3 picks?
“Those are great value picks this year,” he said. “You’re going to be able to find some really good players who can be contributors, maybe not on day one but at some point over the course of this season.”
Added Poles: “I think we can do some really good things to add to our football team and bring good players in.”
That isn’t just biased optimism from inside Halas Hall either. NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said the Bears are “near the top of the list” of teams with an opportunity to make a major splash this weekend.
“They are in a fantastic position,” said Jeremiah, who believes the Bears can go to bed Friday night with four “instant-impact players” added to the roster.
“They’re in a great spot where they don’t have to be aggressive with their first pick,” Jeremiah said. “Somebody is going to fall to them there that they’re going to love and who is going to start for them from day one and make an impact.
“But I’m almost more excited to see what happens with their next picks (in the second and third rounds). Because that’s going to be a fun combination of players they put together.”
As far as draft conundrums go, Jeremiah suggested if the Bears are intent on adding a starting left tackle in this draft, they might not want to wait beyond Thursday.
That’s what the talent supply in this class suggests, which might have the Halas Hall draft room crossing its fingers that LSU’s Will Campbell falls to No. 10. Or maybe the Bears will have deeper discussions on whether Banks is an ideal fit.
“If you want to get your long-term left tackle,” Jeremiah said, “you’re going to want to do that with your first pick. I just don’t love the possibilities of seeing someone who’s going to be an upgrade over what you have already once you get into the second round of this particular draft.”
Poles left another door ajar this week with the possibility of drafting a talented right tackle — see: Missouri’s Armand Membou — and considering a switch to the left side for current right tackle Darnell Wright.
“We’ll see how everything goes,” Poles said. “(Wright) clearly has the ability to play left and right. We saw that in college. That was part of the value in taking Darnell. If he had to play left, I think he could.”
Again, things could get a bit wild.
Tied to the offensive tackle discussion, league consensus is that Day 2 figures to be fertile ground for finding offensive playmakers, particularly in a deep running back group and, to a lesser extent, at tight end.
“I think that’s where you can get your weapons,” longtime draft expert Todd McShay said.
That should leave the Bears in an opportunistic mindset Friday, even if they may have to do a little bit of skillful dancing with their two second-round selections sandwiching the New Orleans Saints’ pick at No. 40.
Cunningham credited the Bears pro scouting team — Jeff King, DJ Hord, Charles Love and Jake Ponikvar — for doing “a really good job of assessing the team needs (of other organizations) to try to anticipate what teams are looking for.”
The Bears know they must stay dialed in on what the Saints might do in Round 2 to optimize their chances of hitting their best-case-scenario targets.
Still, there are endless permutations for how the first 50 selections might unfold. And flexibility will remain key.
Jeremiah encouraged the Bears to remember their top 2025 priority: stimulating a breakthrough for quarterback Caleb Williams. That could mean leaving some of their bigger needs on defense unaddressed.
“At the end of next year, if Caleb Williams has taken a massive leap with Ben Johnson, I think
Bears fans will be feeling pretty darn good about the direction,” Jeremiah said. “That’s why, if it’s close, I’d look to that side of the ball.”
At the very least, the Bears seem set up for draft success and should be looking forward to a productive few days. Even if they don’t know yet which path that will take them down.
