The 2025 NFL Draft begins in less than a week, and the Chicago Bears will look to find impactful players who can help improve the roster now and in the future. Armed with seven picks in total, including No. 10 overall, general manager Ryan Poles will attempt to load up the roster with players at key positions as the Bears usher in a new era under head coach Ben Johnson.
As is always the case with the draft, not every pick will be a hit. Some players will come and go without making much of an impact, but others could leave a lasting legacy, whether they are multi-year Pro Bowl talents or simply quality starters.
Every draft class has a standout player, and while we’re still quite a ways away from finding out who that is from the 2025 group, we’re going back in time to find out who stood out from previous drafts. Here are our picks for the best selections from every Bears draft dating back to 2015:
2015: DT Eddie Goldman
Second round, pick No. 39
When the late great Dick Butkus took the stage in Chicago to announce the Bears’ second-round selection of Eddie Goldman in 2015, he said, “I like this” before revealing the name. Butkus was onto something. Goldman was the first hit of the Ryan Pace era and became a building block for an excellent defense that would be built over the next few seasons. Goldman was an excellent run stuffer and anchored the middle of the defensive line for half a decade. Despite a rocky ending in Chicago, Goldman was a solid selection and easily the best in 2015.
2016: OL Cody Whitehair
Second round, pick No. 56
It’s tough to decide between edge rusher Leonard Floyd and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair, but I’m going with the latter simply because Floyd’s best seasons came after he left Chicago. The Bears found a dependable interior lineman with Whitehair, who started 118 games across eight seasons. He earned one Pro Bowl nod and was one of the better interior protectors until 2022, when his play began to diminish.
2017: S Eddie Jackson
Fourth round, pick No. 112
The final few seasons of Eddie Jackson’s career in Chicago may have left some Bears fans with a sour taste in their mouths, but there’s no denying what the ball-hawking safety could do early on. Jackson earned Pro Bowl honors in 2018 and 2019 as well as First-Team All-Pro in 2018. He changed games with how he was able to create takeaways and solidified the safety position in Chicago, a task that wasn’t easy to do prior to his arrival.
2018: LB Roquan Smith
First round, pick No. 8
Roquan Smith was on his way to becoming the next great linebacker in Bears history. The former first-round pick did it all during his four and a half seasons in Chicago. Smith was a tackling machine, averaging 95 solo tackles per season, while also getting after the quarterback and creating turnovers. Due to a contract impasse, Smith was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in 2022, where he continues to shine. Had he remained in Chicago, Smith would be inching closer and closer to legends like Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, and Brian Urlacher.
2019: RB David Montgomery
Third round, pick No. 73
Thanks to the blockbuster trade that landed Khalil Mack a year prior, the Bears didn’t pick until the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Even then, they still needed to trade up to land their guy. Running back David Montgomery was easily the best selection from this draft, even if he never became the franchise bell cow that many imagined he could be. Montgomery only broke 1,000 yards once as a Bear, but he was a consistent runner that bounced off tacklers. Montgomery took his game to another level when he signed with the Detroit Lions in 2023.
2020: CB Jaylon Johnson
Second round, pick No. 50
Despite not having a first-round pick for the second year in a row, the Bears 2020 draft class was loaded, and it seems to look better and better as the years go on. Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney are quality starters, but Jaylon Johnson has become an elite player at his position in recent years. Johnson is one of the NFC’s top cornerbacks, earning Pro Bowl honors in each of the last two seasons. He’s a lockdown defender who has allowed just four touchdowns on 114 targets since 2023 and is still in his mid-twenties.
2021: QB Justin Fields
First round, pick No. 11
The 2021 Bears draft class is a difficult one to evaluate because, entering Year 5, their top two picks still seem to have potential but have not lived up to expectations for various reasons. Quarterback Justin Fields gets the slight nod over guard Teven Jenkins for his sensational playmaking ability that set multiple records while with the Bears. He was inconsistent as a passer but electric as a runner and scrambler. Jenkins, meanwhile, couldn’t stay on the field due to injuries.
2022: CB Kyler Gordon
Second round, pick No. 39
In his first year as Bears general manager, Ryan Poles did what his predecessors could not: hit on his first draft pick. Kyler Gordon has steadily developed into one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the NFL thanks to his innate ability to make plays at and near the line of scrimmage. Gordon is a versatile defender who needs to be accounted for when on the field. The Bears recently extended Gordon, proving that he’s still scratching the surface of his potential.
2023: OT Darnell Wright
First round, pick No. 10
Poles may get flack for passing up the chance to draft Jalen Carter in favor of Darnell Wright, but it was still his best selection of the draft. The right tackle has become an anchor on the offensive line and has started every game during his first two years in the league. Wright is still ascending, but he already looks like one of the best linemen from his class and should benefit from the additions the Bears made at guard and center.
2024: QB Caleb Williams
First round, pick No. 1
Caleb Williams wasn’t perfect in Year 1, but at this point, the former No. 1 overall pick is the best in the Bears’ class. Williams broke every single team rookie passing record and became the first quarterback in Bears history to pass for at least 3,500 yards, 20 touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions. The hope is that Williams thrives with new coach Ben Johnson in Year 2 and takes a massive step in his development. If that happens, though, perhaps Rome Odunze has his own breakout campaign and takes this spot next offseason.