Yahoo Sports 2025 NFL mock draft: Bears land a stud tackle to help Caleb Williams
The Chicago Bears are headed into a crucial offseason where some important decisions need to be made, starting at head coach and continuing with overhauling the roster at positions of need, most notably the offensive line.
The Bears have multiple needs along the offensive line, including the entire interior at center and both guard positions, and you could argue an upgrade should be made at left tackle. With a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft at their disposal, Chicago is poised to land a top prospect at a key position of need.
In a new mock draft from Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema, the Bears manage to land one of the top offensive linemen in this draft class with the 10th overall pick -- Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who is in contention for OT1 in this 2025 draft class.
Here's what PFF had to say:
The Bears’ offensive line was still too up-and-down this season for the front office to not make new investments. Banks is small in height and length for a tackle (might be just under 6-foot-4), so he may start his career inside at guard. That could work out flawlessly in Chicago, which seems to have more solidified talent at the tackle spots. His athletic ability is very impressive and provides him with a high ceiling, and he earned 86.8 and 88.0 PFF pass-blocking grades over the past two years.
Banks is a three-year starter at left tackle with the Longhorns, where he's helped lead Texas to the College Football Playoff in back-to-back years. He's got the size and athletic ability to be an impact player along Chicago's offensive line, opposite right tackle Darnell Wright.
Protecting quarterback Caleb Williams will be a top priority this offseason, and landing a top pass-blocking tackle in the draft would go a long way in helping rebuild one of the worst offensive lines from this season.
While the Bears' win over the Green Bay Packers dropped them a couple of spots in the draft order, they still have a good chance to land one of the top offensive tackles, be it Banks or LSU's Will Campbell, with that No. 10 selection.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 2025 NFL mock draft: Bears land a stud tackle to help Caleb Williams
