While the Chicago Bears will have their eyes on all the top offensive line talent at the NFL combine, the team knows they must address the defensive line as well. Luckily for the Bears, the 2025 draft class is filled with plenty of potent pass rushers.
The combine will give Chicago an opportunity to see that defensive line talent up close. With three picks inside the top 50 and four inside the top 75, the Bears will have ample opportunity to re-shape their defensive line.
Among the players looking to impress at the combine will be Marshall’s Mike Green. He led college football with 17 sacks in 2024. As the Bears look for some extra juice along their defensive line, Eli Ong of WGN9 believes Green is a player to watch.
“Defined as a “high-energy pass rusher” by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Green profiles as one of the best EDGE players in this year’s draft class,” Ong wrote.
“Green is coming off a 17-sack, second-team All-America season at Marshall, where he displayed a natural and instinctive rushing ability. That was highlighted by Green utilizing loose hips and a series of moves and counters that open doors equally through force and finesse, according to Zierlein.”
“Green plays with a high motor fueled by violence and physicality, so much so that it plays into some of his weaknesses. Zierlein said Green — at 6-foot-3, 251 pounds — lacks ideal length and mass as an edge setter, and sometimes he plays so hard that he occasionally runs out of gas,” Ong concluded.
What Mike Green offers Chicago Bears
First and foremost, the Bears need to get after the quarterback more frequently. Their 40 sacks put them in the middle of the pack in 2024. However, their leading sack-getter was Montez Sweat with 5.5. Too often was Sweat unable to dominate because the offensive line could focus on him.
Adding another explosive edge rusher next to him will take some of the focus off of Sweat. With two mauling monsters running at the quarterback, opposing offensive lines would be in much more danger. And that’s what Mike Green can offer.
His 17 sacks in 2024 took the world by storm and put his name on the map. It also earned Green Sun Belt Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American nod. His junior season also saw him rack up 84 tackles, with a Sun Belt-high 23 of them being for a loss. Overall, Green made his living in the opposing team’s backfield.
Green is bringing some controversy with him into the combine. But now, the Bears will have a strong opportunity to see exactly who the pass rusher is as a player and person.
Who else could Bears target
Green wasn’t the only stud pass rusher to make Ong’s list. Amongst the other standouts were James Pearce Jr of Tennessee, Mykel Williams of Georgia and Shemar Stewart of Texas A&M.
Pearce ranks as the No. 10 overall prospect on Pro Football Focus’ big board. He ended his time at Tennessee with 71 tackles – 30 of the being for a loss – three forced fumbles and 19.5 sacks. He was named First-Team All-SEC in both 2023 and 2024. Pearce still has room to grow into his body, making him an even scarier prospect to build your defense around.
Williams has already met with the Chicago Bears and Ryan Poles, coming away with a strong first impression. The defensive lineman made 67 tackles, 23 for a loss, three forced fumbles and 14 sacks. He had at least 4.5 sacks each year on campus and won a National Championship in 2022. Clearly, Poles already has interest in bringing Williams to the Bears.
Stewart was deemed a ‘dream’ second day draft target by Bleacher Report. His numbers aren’t overly impressive, making 65 tackles, 12 for a loss and 4.5 sacks. However, he has supreme athletic skills and the combine is the perfect opportunity to prove why he’s worthy of a top draft pick.
The Bears have plenty of options to chose from. And with four top 100 picks, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them land a top defensive line prospect.
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