Four players the Bears could draft in the first round

By Rhys Knott

You will have to hunt high and low to find a team that is receiving more hype than the current version of the Monsters of the Midway. After six years in Detroit, Ben Johnson made the bold move to Chicago, just 283 miles along I-94. Working with Caleb Williams is undoubtedly an attractive prospect, but away from the QB and two receivers (Keenan Allen is a free agent) there wasn’t much of a team in Chicago.

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Ryan Poles has already traded for 32-year-old, four-time Super Bowl Champion Joe Thuney (making the Bears game in Philadelphia interesting).

The Bears GM also traded for Jonah Jackson (who worked with Johnson for three years in Detroit) from the Rams. But the 2021 Pro Bowler only played four games in L.A last year.

Drew Dalman (who has missed 11 games in the last two years with ankle issues) signed a three-year, $42 million deal. 

Poles and Johnson have addressed the interior of the offensive line, albeit unconvincingly and they seem happy with the options at tackle. Braxton Jones did break his ankle in December, but Kiran Amegadjie is a very bright young prospect to have in reserve. However, given the injury history of most of the linemen (new and old), Chicago could still use some depth. 

Chicago could also use some help stopping the run. Only six teams allowed more rushing touchdowns and just four teams conceded more rushing yards last year! And while the pass defense was better, they only made 11 interceptions in 17 games, ending the season with a +8 turnover ratio. They also need a new kicker, but nobody is spending a first-round pick on a special teamer.

Mason Graham, DL Michigan

New Chicago defensive coordinator and former Saints defensive line coach Dennis Allen will love Mason Graham. 6-foot-3, 296-pound Graham is an unstoppable force with a great engine. What more could you want from a defensive tackle? 

The NextGen Stats model ranked him the best defensive tackle at the combine, scoring him 85/99 overall and 93/99 for his “production”! Graham lined up in a 4-3 defense during his time in Michigan, which has been Allen’s preferred formation throughout his coaching career. 

Apart from impressive strength and power that allows him to shed blocks and move offensive linemen, Mason’s most impressive trait is that he keeps his eyes in the backfield. Even when the quarterback is sliding or stepping up to avoid pressure from the outside, Graham seems to know where they are headed, even before they do. And he seems to instinctually close running lanes as backs reach the line of scrimmage. 

Chicago should have the 10th pick in the draft (although they could draft back to acquire more picks), and many analysts expect Graham to go to Jacksonville at five.

The Jaguars need to break their addiction to overdrafting defensive linemen though. If the Jaguars realise Trevor Lawrence needs better protection and a team moves up to take a quarterback Ryan Poles will be at the head of the queue for Graham.

Tetairoa McMillan, WR Arizona

Keenan Allen will definitely want to stay in Chicago, but the question is can the Bears afford him?

Even if Allen does re-sign in Chicago he will be 32 in April, so drafting a receiver is just future-proofing the roster. Three other receivers are out of contract in Chicago too and Collin Johnson, DeAndre Carter and Nsimba Webster caught just 10 receptions between them last year. There’s no guarantee any of them will be back.  

At 6-foot-4 McMillan would be the Bears’ tallest receiver, he’s an inch taller than Rome Odunze. McMillan is a similar body type to two receivers Johnson worked with in Detroit, Tim Patrick and Josh Reynolds. And he’s a similar size to someone who Caleb Williams threw a memorable 74-yard touchdown pass to in college, Brenden Rice.  

The 2024 All-American doesn’t have the best acceleration, but once he gets going his cadence allows him to leave defenders in his wake. Unsurprisingly McMillan can highpoint a ball way above defenders’ heads, making him an interesting redzone option. 

Back in December McMillan projected as the fourth overall pick, but it’s difficult to see going that high with his lack of physicality. He is now expected to be closer to the ninth overall pick, with some expecting the Saints to snap him up. But New Orleans has seven defensive players about to hit free agency and two have already departed so they should address that first.

Armand Membou, RT Missouri

Chicago might not need another tackle, but every team needs an Armand Membou.

Membou might be the best technical blocker in this class, from the ground up. He’s accurate with both his hand and feet placement. The 20-year-old might not be as explosive as some other first-round tackles, but he doesn’t miss. He will become stronger as he grows and matures, but he’s already incredibly mobile. He’s almost unstoppable when he gets to the second level. 

The 20-year-old had the highest athleticism score of any offensive tackle at the draft according to NextGen Stats. He scored 94/99 and his overall score of 85 ranked him the third-best tackle in Indianapolis. 

A Missouri native, Membou played 35 games during his three years as a Tiger. Only allowing three sacks during his three seasons in college! Two of those came in 2023, but he didn’t allow any last year, achieving a 90.4 grade from PFF at the end of the 2024 season!  

Membou is going to improve any team who draft him, he was projected as a second-round draft pick in January but his stock has risen in the last two months. He now projects as the eighth overall pick. Many expect he will go to the Jets. But the Jets have signed Chukwuma Okorafor to replace Morgan Moses. Gang Green also has ten defensive players headed to free agency, that should be their first priority.

Xavier Watts, S Notre Dame

Watts exudes Brian Branch vibes. Branch’s arrival in Detroit coincided with the Lions recording double-digit wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in their history!

If Jaquan Brisker can stay healthy then the Bears have one of the best safety pairings in the NFC. But Brisker has missed 31% of the Bears games since he was drafted in 2022 and after suffering three diagnosed concussions in three seasons the Bears need should hope for the best while preparing for the worst. 

Watts clocked a 4.49 second 40-yard time, the same as Kyle Dugger and he’s just an inch shorter than Dugger. But Watts has better instincts and is more of a ball hawk than Dugger.  

The Nebraska native made 188 tackles in 55 games at Notre Dame, nine of those were tackles for a loss. He also made 1.5 sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles, returning one of them for a touchdown.  

The former wide receiver made six of his 13 total interceptions in his senior year, taking one to the house. He also defended 10 passes last year and he averaged 22.7 yards per interception return. According to PFF when quarterbacks threw Watts’ direction they had a 30.3 passer rating! 

Even though NextGen Stats ranked him as the third safety at the combine, Watts projects as a second-round pick. His stock has fallen since February. But Branch was the 45th pick in 2023, and it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t had first-round impact.

RHYS KNOTT

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes

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