The Chicago Bears are in the middle of an important offseason, which starts with finding a new head coach. But there’s also plenty of work for general manager Ryan Poles to do with this roster. Thankfully, Chicago has the salary cap space and draft capital (including four picks in the Top 75) to make improvements.
The biggest focus should be in the trenches, particularly the offensive line that was among the worst in the NFL in 2024. You could make the argument that Chicago will have three starting jobs to fill this offseason, outside of right tackle Darnell Wright, who’s the staple along the line.
In a new mock draft from Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling has the Bears landing who he calls the “most dominant left tackle in all of college football” in Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, who would likely be the consensus OT1 had he not suffered a season-ending knee injury this season.
Upgrading the offensive line has to be the top priority for the Bears this offseason, as they try to keep building a strong supporting cast around Caleb Williams. Simmons missed the majority of the 2024 season with a knee injury, but prior to that, he was arguably the most dominant left tackle in all of college football. If he can be that player again, he’ll be worth a top-10 pick.
Braxton Jones has served as Chicago’s left tackle for the past three seasons, and he’s been serviceable. But Jones also seems more like a bridge tackle before the Bears find a long-term solution at the position — someone like Simmons, who will certainly challenge LSU’s Will Campbell and Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. for that OT1 spot.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 2025 NFL mock draft: Bears snag best left tackle in first round
