Bear Digest

Chicago Bears land exciting blindside protector in new 2025 NFL Mock Draft

In the latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft from Fox Sports, the Chicago Bears tap into the SEC to bolster their offensive line.

Bryan Perez

Wm. Glasheen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked an NFL-high and team-record 68 times in 2024. It's not the way any organization wants to introduce their prized first-overall pick to the pro game, and GM Ryan Poles and his scouting department must take the necessary steps in the 2025 NFL Draft to make sure a season like 2024 never happens again.

One way to accomplish that goal is to use the team's 2025 first-round pick, No. 10 overall, on an offensive lineman. There are a few contenders for that pick, and in the latest 2025 mock draft from Fox Sports, the Bears go with LSU stud left tackle, Will Campbell Jr.

"The Bears provided Caleb Williams with plenty of weapons but need to do a better job of protecting their precocious young quarterback," wrote Rob Rang. "An immediate standout who earned Second Team All-SEC honors from league coaches as a true freshman, Campbell ascended to First Team honors in 2023, showing off the size, agility and strength to warrant a selection in the top half of the first round.

LSU Tigers offensive tackle Will Campbell (66)
Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Will Campbell Jr. is an ideal pick for the Bears in the first round

Campbell might be the perfect selection for the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft. First, he's a legit dude. Run a quick search on social media and you'll find several clips of Campbell going nuts in the weight room or giving incredible answers during interviews that all but guarantee he'll help the Bears with their intended culture shift.

If there's one negative with Campbell, it's his NFL projection. He'll be graded by a lot of NFL Draft analysts as a guard, and there's a chance he could evolve much like Kyle Long did after the Bears selected him in the first round following his dominant tenure as an offensive tackle at Oregon.

Long kicked inside to guard, and if it wasn't for a series of unfortunate injuries, was on a fantastic trajectory as one of the top interior offensive linemen in the NFL.

Campbell could be the next 'Kyle Long' for the Chicago Bears and join an offensive line that's longing for a leader. And there's still a chance he could succeed at left tackle, too.

There's a very high floor and a high ceiling for Campbell's NFL projection. In an NFL Draft focused on protecting Caleb Williams, Campbell qualifies as a no-brainer.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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