Chicago Bears: 3 Players from Senior Bowl who could help in 2025

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was at the Senior Bowl practices and the game last week. Here are three players who could turn out to be big help in 2025.

The 2025 Senior Bowl was played last weekend.  What was more important than the actual game were the practices during the week. Some of the top collegiate players got to show how valuable they could be to NFL teams. Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles was at Mobile, AL and got a firsthand look at them. 

Once again, the Chicago Bears will have quite a few changes in the upcoming season. The team purged the coaching staff and replaced it with a completely new staff led by head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson moved on from the disappointing playoff loss and now gets to run the show in Chicago.

The Bears are in good shape to add quality players. They have over $60 million in salary cap space (before making some cuts to free up even more), and four picks in the first three rounds, including the number ten overall pick. Working in conjunction with Johnson and the coaching staff, Poles is in a good position to add talent.

There were plenty of players in the Senior Bowl who made an impression. However, were there any who put themselves on the Chicago Bears radar? Here are three of them who might have done so.

Sebastian Castro, Safety, Iowa

One area that not many people might think about needing an improvement is at safety. The Chicago Bears have Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard. While Brisker is a very good safety, he has spent too much time on the sidelines due to injury. He missed 12 games in 2024 and 16 total in his career. There have also been a number of games in which he had to leave early because of injury.

As good as Brisker is, he is doing the team no favors when he is sitting out games. This upcoming season will be his final one on his rookie deal. The Chicago Bears may want to hedge their bets with Brisker. They may want to have his replacement in Sebastian Castro just in case he falls out of the Bears’ plans for the future.

Castro had a big game at the Senior Bowl. He made two terrific plays. He stripped the ball and picked up the fumble for the turnover. Later, he stopped the quarterback short of the first down marker on fourth down to force a turnover on downs.

Castro is a tough safety who can play both the run and pass. He is a hard hitter and is not afraid to take on the big guys on the offensive line. He does a good job of shedding blocks and getting to the ball carrier. He showed that in the game. He could be a big pick in the middle rounds of the draft.

Great play by #Hawkeyes DB Sebastian Castro in the Senior Bowl: pic.twitter.com/6OcgZosrL8

— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) February 1, 2025

Darius Alexander, Defensive Tackle, Toledo

One of the most frustrating things to see from the Chicago Bears defense is the shocking lack of depth along the defensive line. When Andrew Billings went down in Week 8 and missed the rest of the season, there was no one who could step up in his absence.

Without Billings, opponents consistently gashed the Chicago Bears run defense. The Bears went from being the top-ranked defense against the run in 2023 to ranking 28th in 2024. They desperately need to add some depth to prevent that from happening again.

Darius Alexander is one of the best of the a deep class of defensive tackles. Some believe that there could be more than a handful who could go in the first two rounds.

Alexander was a force on the line and stuffed the run effectively in Mobile. He also had a great week of practice so he improved his stock. Out of ten reps he had, he won eight of them.

Alexander had a very good 2024 season for Toledo. He had 7.5 tackles for loss, including 3.5 sacks, a pick-six, four pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries. Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for The Athletic, had effusive praise for Alexander.

The NFL covets traits, and Alexander has the physical traits for the next level. He has impressive movements for a 300-pounder with long arms [34 inches] and pops at contact. The fluidity in his body is what ties everything together and allows him to be effective. The defensive line is loaded in this draft class, including at the Senior Bowl, which says a lot that Alexander was able to stand out among higher-profile players. He has put himself in the mix to be a top-100 pick.

Alexander is very versatile and athletic. He can play either on the inside or the outside, standing up or with his hand to the ground. He can play anywhere from the 1 to 9 technique. He would make a great addition to play in a rotation with Billings and Gervon Dexter.

Darius Alexander is just incredible at the Senior Bowl.

He’s one of 10 defensive tackles who could go in the first two rounds. pic.twitter.com/oxUyTvdoAD

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 1, 2025

Grey Zabel, Offensive Lineman, North Dakota State

It has been well established that the Chicago Bears are in desperate need of a huge improvement at the offensive line. The unit has struggled with ineffective play and injuries for the better part of a decade. If the team wants to have any success in 2025 it has to have a much-improved line.

With all of the injuries happening to the linemen, it is critical to have some versatility. Grey Zabel gives them that. He had a tremendous week of practice and impressed a lot of people. He is a center but showed how he could help a team with his versatility.

Zabel practiced and did well in one-on-one battles at every line position. Remember how this class of defensive linemen was one of the best and most talented in years? Well, seeing how well Zabel did made it even more impressive. Depending on what the Bears do in free agency, it would be huge to have someone like Zabel to provide depth at any position.

Zabel also has a mean streak in him. For too long, the Chicago Bears offensive linemen have been bullied. Zabel has a tough, in your face demeanor. He will play to the whistle (and sometimes after the whistle). If the Chicago Bears want to protect quarterback Caleb Williams properly, they need a player like Zabel, who could go in the second or third round.

Great part of all-star events is getting a look at players at different positions, especially the trenches.@NDSUfootball OL Grey Zabel, who played the last two year at tackle, getting some early work at center — likely his best NFL position pic.twitter.com/uPmLNMsisK

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 28, 2025

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