What Chicago Bears Private Visits List Tells Us Will Happen In Draft

People are always quick to say a team never shows you what they plan to do with their top 30 visits before the draft each year. Sometimes that can be true. However, it hasn’t been for the Chicago Bears. In each of the past two years, they met with their eventual 1st round picks. Darnell Wright in 2023. Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze in 2024. That should tell you GM Ryan Poles takes these visits seriously. There is a good chance that one of the players the Bears met with over the past month will hear their name called at #10. Here is a breakdown of some other possibilities based on the information available.

The Chicago Bears are either laying out their plans or hatching a smoke screen.

Their first pick will be a left tackle or a running back.

If we consider which positions received the most focus among high-ranked prospects, those two stand out. Both Will Campbell of LSU and Kelvin Banks of Texas are likely top-15 selections, and the two left tackles have the fewest question marks. Both have length concerns, but not much else outside of that. Meanwhile, the Bears also met with Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton, the two consensus top running backs in the class. There is a good chance that at least two of those names are available at #10. They could even be available after a small trade down.

They will likely draft a wide receiver between the 3rd and 5th rounds.

It is pretty apparent that the Chicago Bears coaching staff might not be satisfied with the depth at wide receiver. Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay are decent additions, but problems could surface if D.J. Moore or Rome Odunze get hurt. By my count, the team has met with four receivers with a strong chance to go somewhere between the 3rd and 5th rounds: Kyle Williams, Isaiah Bond, Tre Harris, and Jaylin Layne. All have considerable upside and would make excellent developmental options.

Guard might still be high on their priority list.

One would think the Bears are happy with their guard situation after trading for Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. Yet their actions say otherwise, with Jonah Savaiinaea and Dylan Fairchild getting visits. They’ve also spoken to other prominent interior offensive linemen via the combine and pro days. This suggests they don’t like their depth and may have long-term plans that may not involve Thuney, who turns 33 years old this season. Keep an eye on that position sometime on day two or early day three.

Defensive line probably gets action in the 2nd round.

Unless something comes out later, only one defensive line prospect has been reported to have met with the Bears. That is Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart. While he could be the pick, it feels like the Bears are content to wait to address their defensive line concerns until the second day of the draft. This isn’t a big surprise. The depth at both defensive tackle and edge rusher is good this year. They stand a solid chance of getting a good player early in the 2nd round.