The Chicago Bears didn’t climb from last place in the NFC North to division champions in 2025 by accident. According to NFL.com, they did it in large part because of the league’s most impactful rookie class.
In a post-Super Bowl evaluation of all 32 classes from the 2025 NFL Draft, NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice ranked the Bears’ draft class as the best in the league, and it’s all based on production.
Chicago made one of the biggest year-over-year jumps in the NFL, finishing sixth in total offense after ranking last in 2024. While coach Ben Johnson and QB Caleb Williams deserve a lot of the credit, the contributions from the rookie class were impossible to ignore.
Seventh-round running back Kyle Monangai became a foundational piece to the Bears’ run game. Second-round pick Luther Burden III turned into an explosive threat after midseason. And first-round pick, Colston Loveland, emerged as one of the top young pass-catching tight ends in the NFL.
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Even left tackle Ozzy Trapilo turned in a fantastic rookie year before it ended with a devastating patellar tendon injury.
What makes the Chicago Bears’ 2025 rookie class stand out is how quickly they developed into true pros. They proved reliable and trustworthy, both for Johnson and Williams, during some of the season’s most critical moments.
When factoring Williams, Rome Odunze, and Darnell Wright into the young offensive starters mix, GM Ryan Poles has been cooking over the last few NFL drafts.
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NFL.com’s ranking reinforces the fact that the Bears’ success in 2025 wasn’t lucky. It was the result of a team that’s had a few strong draft classes in a row and the right coaching staff that can get the most out of them.
If this young core of Bears continues to develop, Chicago’s championship window might just be opening wider than anyone expected.
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