The Chicago Bears definitely made some headway in free agency in 2025, so much so that they once again garnered the dreaded title of the “winners” of this ongoing offseason.
After addressing holes at the interior of the offensive line; having bought in Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, and Joe Thuney, and on the defensive line in Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo; the Bears have one significant upgrade remaining – left tackle.
Braxton Jones has demonstrated capability as a starter in protecting franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams‘ blind side, however he is not quite the franchise-level tackle that Chicago will want in front of their prized asset.
And with the Philadelphia Eagles laying out the roadmap for teams during their recent Super Bowl run; stack up the trenches; it feels like almost a foregone conclusion that the Bears will make one of the top offensive linemen their first pick in this year’s draft.
Bears Predicted To Ignore Will Campbell And Select Linebacker
But in a recent AI Chatbot draft conducted by USA Today via “Copilot”, the Bears were projected to select linebacker/edge rusher, Jalon Walker.
“Copilot acknowledged this as a potential landing spot for Will Campbell”, per USA Today’s Jacob Camenker, “but ultimately opted to go defense after the Bears addressed their offensive line in free agency. The chatbot called Walker “a versatile defender to boost their pass rush.””
Passing on a prospect like Will Campbell or Armand Membou could prove to be too much for Chicago, but if both are gone by the time the Bears are on the clock at #10, pivoting to an elite pass-rushing prospect be possbility.
In this draft, it may seem puzzling that Chicago decides to leave LSU’s Campbell on the table, but after recording short arms at just over 32.5 inches, many teams will have him down as a guard, rather than a tackle.
Ideally, tackles will have 34 inch arms, with 33 being the lowest baseline for tackle prospects – with even some of them having to make the transfer inside. The most comparable prospect in recent years, Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, recorded 32 1/4 inch arms, and accordingly was shifted to guard, despite the Tennessee Titans‘ nagging, continual need on the exterior of the offensive line.
Could The Bears Ignore Tackle And Go With Jalon Walker?
There is also the question of if Walker will be there at #10, with many outlets suggesting he could be gone by the 8th overall pick when the edge rusher-needy Carolina Panthers get on the clock.
Even if he is there at #10, there are still questions and concerns regarding his usage in college as a “Tweener” – both as an off-the-ball linebacker and in rushing the passer. Because of lack of experience as a pure pass rusher, his hand usage is not quite at the level many would have wanted it to be at this stage entering the NFL.
It could also be that at 243 lbs, he could be on the smaller end for an end in the Bears’ 4-3 defensive scheme, and that a role as a 3-4 outside linebacker – a role he would play in Carolina, for example – would make more sense.
But with an athlete like Walker, who still managed 12.5 sacks over the course of his college career, the Bears might just take a chance on him if they are not enamoured with the other tackle prospects.
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