NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears have many essential questions to answer between now and April, like who the head coach will be and who all of his coaches will be. Still, they have some glaring questions to answer in Green Bay at the 2025 NFL Draft in April.
One of them is who will be protecting Caleb Williams in 2025. If you’re like me and think the trenches are the undisputed top need for the Bears this offseason, you’ll love The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft.
Brugler has the Chicago Bears—who currently hold the 11th overall selection in the first round—addressing that need early by taking Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. Now that’s a mock draft selection I can get excited about. Banks was the second offensive lineman taken in Brugler’s most recent mock, with LSU’s Will Campbell going fourth overall to the New England Patriots.
Dane Brugler has the Bears beefing up their offensive line in his latest mock draft
Banks is Brugler’s 18th-ranked player on his 2025 NFL Draft Big Board at The Athletic and his second-ranked offensive line prospect. Here’s what Brugler wrote recently about Banks:
“Whether you like him best at tackle or guard (NFL teams are split), Banks is a quality offensive lineman because of his ability to maintain leverage and create force through his body mechanics. He spends too much time on the ground, but the tools are there for him to become an immediate NFL starter.”
Pro Football Focus has Banks ranked 11th on their big board, second to only Campbell. This tweet from PFF in October seems pretty good:
Kelvin Banks Jr. is a three-year starter at left tackle for Texas. He plays in their balanced run-pass scheme, which emphasizes quick games, RPOs, and motion. He is known for his athleticism, compact build, and good timing on combo blocks, especially when using the gallop technique.
Banks excels in the run game, releasing to the second level to engage linebackers, but he struggles with solo drive blocks due to his average arm length and a tendency to lean. As a pass protector, he shows solid footwork and effective hand usage. Still, he can be vulnerable to more extended plays due to his average sustain skills and susceptibility to power moves. Despite these challenges, Banks is a skilled pass blocker with great movement in space.
If the Bears see Banks as a guard, he sounds like a perfect fit at No. 11.
