The Chicago Bears had fewer picks entering the 2025 NFL Draft than 20 other teams. They came away 24th-ranked class. This is according to Sharp Football Analysis’ Warren Sharp, who charted each team’s class.
Sharp noted that he leaned on consensus mock drafts for the first round and big board rankings for the ensuing turns.
Either way, the Bears came out near the bottom of the barrel.
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“Assigning draft capital to each pick using those sources, we can compare the total draft capital used to draft a player at a particular point in the draft relative to what was expected,” Sharp wrote on April 29. “The resulting metric is called DCOE, standing for Draft Capital Over Expectation, and measures expected capital used on a prospect vs. the actual capital used.
“Based on this methodology, we can determine which teams reached the most to draft a player and which teams were able to get great value on players drafted later than expected,”
Bears Land Prospects on Best & Worst Value Lists
The Bears selected Luther Burden III in the second round. A projected first-rounder in many mocks before the draft, Burden ranked No. 6 on Sharp’s list of best values in Round 2 of the draft.
Notably, the Bears did not have many “overdrafted” – worst value – picks in the class. That belies their overall ranking may indicate. They only had one true value too, though: Burden.
They did land one overvalued player, linebacker Ruben Hyppolite.
Hyppolite ranked No. 2 on Sharp’s list of fourth-round reaches. Hyppolite is a speedy backer who has better test numbers than production, but one the Bears identified as they looked ot add more speed to their defense.
They also needed to replace former strongside backer Jack Sanborn, who followed former head coach Matt Eberflus, the new Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator. Hyppolite figures to get a crack at doing that, first in rookie minicamp, then in training camp, and eventually in the preseason.
Burden’s value goes without saying, offering a versatile weapon who only grew saltier over his draft slide.
Fit also matters when determining value. It remains to be seen if Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s conviction on players like first-round pick Colston Loveland is well-founded. The alternative is that Sharp’s metrics are foreshadowing.
It would not be the first time for either outcome. The Bears must hope it is the latter as they prepare for the 2025 season.