Bears stick to their plan but miss out on running back and edge rusher in NFL draft

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears focused largely on supporting quarterback Caleb Williams during the NFL draft — with one obvious exception.

Until the last round, they failed to find a running back who could take some pressure off the passing game, and this came in a year when draft analysts said running backs were plentiful.

After the Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall, they took another pass-catcher at No. 39 with explosive wide receiver Luther Burden III, even when it seemed they might have other needs.

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“It was clear that he was the most talented player on the board,” general manager Ryan Poles said. “We think that he’s an electric player, a playmaker.”

It gives coach Ben Johnson more options for his scheme during the former Detroit offensive coordinator’s first season in Chicago, and the rookies could bring a higher level of competition to practice.

“I think all we did this weekend is we might’ve just turned up the notch a couple of dials for certain people in the building,” Johnson said. “That’s a good thing. That’s a healthy thing.

“That’s where you bring out the best not only in your team, but in each individual.”

It almost seems Williams and the Bears have too many weapons.

“Yeah, you’re right, we have a lot of weapons,” Johnson said. “So how are you going to run your route when you might not be No. 1 in the progression? How are you going to block for your teammate when he has the ball?”

The Bears also added more blocking help for Williams.

A year after giving up a league-high 68 sacks, an offensive line rebuilt in free agency now has second-round tackle Ozzy Trapilo from Boston College and sixth-round guard Luke Newman from Michigan State.

Poles said he didn’t have a running back graded highly enough when the Bears’ pick came up in the first six rounds. He took Kyle Monangai of Rutgers in the seventh round.

“Again, if you’re going to be disciplined, you’re going to let the board dictate how you do things and it just happens that way,” Poles said.

He called it preferable to reaching for a player.

“But at the end of the day, you’re increasing the talent on your football team,” Poles said. “And I do think you can get into a lot of trouble when you start trying to manipulate things to get into certain pockets where it ends up hurting your team long term.”

Trading down

Poles kept trading back and acquiring picks when no back or pass rusher lined up for him.

The Bears sent the 41st, 72nd and 240th picks to Buffalo on Friday and acquired the 56th, 62nd and 109th picks. They then traded the 109th pick right back to the Bills on Saturday for No. 132 in Round 4 and fifth-rounder at No. 169.

They also traded their fifth-rounder at No. 148 to the Rams for the 195th pick and a fourth-rounder in 2026.

Prioritizing discipline

Second-round defensive tackle Shemar Turner of Texas A&M was flagged for seven personal fouls in the last two seasons. He realizes that can’t continue.

“Man, playing with an edge, being an edgy guy, playing with fire like that is always good, but you’ve got to know how to control it,” Turner said. “You can’t let it control you.”

Legacy pick

Poles has plenty of connections to Trapilo, who was selected at No. 56.

Poles also played offensive line at Boston College, and Poles’ father, Robert, was on the same BC team as Trapilo’s dad, Steve Trapilo, who went on to play for the New Orleans Saints.

Steve Trapilo died of a heart attack at age 39 when Ozzy was 3 years old.

Speed search

While the Bears emphasized improving their offense, they also added speed to their defense, fulfilling an objective of new coordinator Dennis Allen.

They drafted Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II in Saturday’s fourth round, and they took cornerback Zah Frazier from Texas-San Antonio in the fifth.

Frazier ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, while Hyppolite was reported at 4.39 during a pro day, a time that would have been fastest at the combine for linebackers had he run it there.

Back has his back

Williams may get backfield help out of the draft after all. Monangai counts pass blocking among his strengths.

“The quarterback’s the most important person on the field, for an offensive perspective,” Monangai said. “So protecting the quarterback comes first.

“You’ve got to protect the quarterback if you want the ball is kind of the philosophy I was raised in.”

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