LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — When the Bears hired head coach Ben Johnson in January, they did so with the hope that he could help guide personnel decisions.
General manager Ryan Poles welcomed that by his side. He saw Johnson as the best fit to lead the Bears on the sideline and also as an important influence in building the roster.
The 2025 NFL Draft was the first with Poles and Johnson working side by side, and it was clear that Johnson’s voice played a prominent role in the team's decisions, starting with Chicago's selection of Michigan tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall in the first round.
"I really respect his work ethic, his intelligence, his ability to evaluate, and then obviously to have really good conversations,” Poles said of Johnson.
“He has been a pleasure to work with. I’m grateful for that."
Here are the five takeaways from draft weekend at Halas Hall as the Bears added an eight-player class to their roster.
Johnson gets his LaPorta
Many outside the Bears’ draft room believed that if Chicago took a tight end at No. 10 overall, it would be Penn State star Tyler Warren, who won the Mackey Award as college football’s top tight end in 2024.
Instead, the Bears selected Loveland four spots before the Colts took Warren at No. 14 overall.
The Bears' choice wasn't based in a lack of belief in Warren. Poles and his scouting brass acknowledged Warren's talent and lofty potential. Instead, the Bears fell in love with Loveland the person and player. They believe his talent better fits the vision for Johnson's scheme.
"It starts with the person more so than the player,” Johnson said Saturday at Halas Hall after the NFL Draft concluded. “And I love the tape. I love everything about the tape. But when you get to know him as a man, it really is intriguing. It’s who we want to be going forward in my opinion. He stands for high football character, IQ, intelligence, but he’s a great teammate. When we went to the University of Michigan, everybody was raving about him.
“You could tell that he was so well-respected. His story is a little bit unique. Coming from small town Idaho and going to the big stage like he did, he didn’t bat an eye. I do see a lot of comparisons to (Sam) LaPorta. But that’s not just on the field. That’s off the field as well. Because with LaPorta, the stage was never too big or too bright. I felt that same thing with Colston the first time I met him. He doesn’t bat an eye. He performs at a high level.
“As we talk about where we’re going as an organization – and we’re going to be playing in these big games with the bright lights – we need guys that are going to rise up to the occasion, and he’s going to do that for us.”
Johnson welcomed the comparison to Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, who developed into one of the game’s top players at his position over the last two seasons while Johnson worked as Detroit's offensive coordinator. Ultimately, the Bears’ belief is that Loveland can become a LaPorta-like difference-maker that uplifts their offense.
What’s next at running back?
The Bears were seventh in the draft order entering the second round Friday night. They held the No. 39 and No. 41 overall picks, seemingly giving them a chance to address the running back position.
Those plans fell through for the Bears. The Browns selected Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins at 36th overall. Two picks later, the Patriots took fellow Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson at No. 38 – one pick ahead of the Bears.
The Bears selected Missouri receiver Luther Burden III at No. 39 overall and then traded back from No. 41 – their first of three trades back in this draft. Two of those trades came after running backs were selected shortly before their pick.
On Saturday, the Bears were slated with the seventh pick of the fourth round. Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten was selected by the Jaguars with the second pick of the fourth round. Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo went one pick later to the Giants.
The Bears then traded down from No. 109 overall in the fourth round.
Poles acknowledged that his hope to select a running back in the early or middle rounds didn’t come to fruition.
“Every draft has just pockets that you just don't fall into,” Poles said. “If you're going to be disciplined, you're going to let the board dictate how you do things and it just happens that way. Because of that, you wind up in some really cool situations in acquiring talented players who might come from a different position than you maybe would have liked them to. But at the end of the day, you're increasing the talent on your football team. And I do think you can get into a lot of trouble when you start trying to manipulate things to get into certain pockets where it ends up hurting your team long-term.”
The Bears finally landed their rusher in the seventh round, selecting Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai at 233rd overall.
It’s worth noting the Chiefs landed top running back Isiah Pacheco out of Rutgers in the seventh round three years ago, just a few months after Poles left Kansas City for Chicago. The Bears will hope for the same late-round steal in Monangai.
The Bears could still look for a veteran running back on the free-agent market, where the likes of J.K. Dobbins and Nick Chubb remain available.
Blue-chip Burden
Like most general managers, Poles often speaks of selecting the best player available. An example of that was the Bears' addition of Burden in the second round.
The Bears didn’t necessarily need a wide receiver in this draft — and certainly not at No. 39 overall. But Poles stood by his philosophy in the selection.
“Obviously, there was a lot of value there,” Poles said. “He was at the top of our board. Really did a good job following the board, kind of letting it talk to us. It was clear he was the most talented player on the board. He's an electric player, playmaker, highly competitive and the run-after-the-catch is special — probably the best in this class. When you add that to the group that we have, things get pretty exciting.”
The 21-year-old Burden earned all-SEC honors twice at Missouri, where he had 192 receptions and 21 touchdowns over three seasons. Luther had a huge 2023 season, when he had 86 catches for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games. He had 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games in 2024.
Burden was a standout at East St. Louis High School and joins a Bears wide receiver room that’s led by DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. The Bears believe that Burden can play either outside or in the slot within their offense.
Johnson isn’t at all concerned about having too many options for his offense. He’s eager to get Burden into his scheme.
“Stud. You saw the highlights, right,” Johnson said. “I mean, he's a playmaker waiting to happen.
“It's rare to see somebody with his movement skills. He can stop on a dime and accelerate just like that. Give him a little bit of space and he can make big things happen. A dangerous player, a weapon, call him what you want, but I see big things in his future.”
Defensive line is taking shape
Prior to the NFL Combine in February, Poles referenced the Super Bowl as inspiration for how he wanted to fortify the Bears' defensive line.
“You can't have enough good (defensive linemen),” Poles said. “I think we all watched that last game of the season and that proves to be true.”
Poles was referring to the Eagles' defensive line wreaking havoc on star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Philadelphia's rout of Kansas City in the Super Bowl.
The Bears followed suit by upgrading their defensive line in free agency and the draft. After signing defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and pass rusher Dayo Odeyingbo in March, the Bears selected disruptive defensive tackle Shemar Turner in the second round Friday. They join a group led by pass rusher Montez Sweat, defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. and defensive tackle Andrew Billings.
Turn it up a notch
In addition to addressing needs in a few starting roles, the Bears believe they've deepened the bottom of their roster this offseason. And Johnson knows well what that means.
“We might’ve just turned up the notch a couple of dials for certain people in the building,” Johnson said. “That’s a good thing. That’s a healthy thing. That’s where you bring out the best not only in your team, but in each individual.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.