Bears had the best 2025 rookie class, while the Packers had the worst

Well, this is fun.

A recent article at NFL.com ranked and graded every 2025 rookie class from worst to first, and there were NFC North bookends with the Chicago Bears on top at number one (A) and the Green Bay Packers bringing up the rear in last place (D+).

The Bears being number one wasn’t much of a surprise, since they had a trio make history, but I wasn’t expecting to see the Packers ranked 32nd, far below the 31st-ranked Buffalo Bills (C-).

Did you know that three of Chicago’s 2025 draft class had over 650 scrimmage yards each, which makes the ‘25 Bears the only team in the Super Bowl era to have three rookies hit that mark.

This trio of Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, and Kyle Monangai were the top three graded rookies at their respective positions according to the Pro Football and Sports Network’s Impact metrics, and Loveland was Pro Football Focus’ top graded rookie overall.

Here’s what NFL.com wrote up about the Bears’ rookies.

Round 1 (No. 10): TE Colston Loveland | 16 games/11 starts
Round 2 (No. 39): WR Luther Burden III | 15 games/5 starts
Round 2 (No. 56): OT Ozzy Trapilo | 14 games/6 starts
Round 2 (No. 62): DT Shemar Turner | 5 games/0 starts
Round 4 (No. 132): LB Ruben Hyppolite II | 7 games/1 start
Round 5 (No. 169): CB Zah Frazier | 0 games/starts
Round 6 (No. 195): OG Luke Newman | 9 games/0 starts
Round 7 (No. 233): RB Kyle Monangai | 17 games/1 start

Notable free-agent signings:
WR Jahdae Walker | 9 games/1 start

Chicago just went from worst to first in the NFC North, thanks in large part to Ben Johnson tapping into Caleb Williams’ rare ability. But the first-year head coach wasn’t the only person to help the second-year quarterback. Four rookies played crucial roles in a Bears attack that went from dead last in total offense in 2024 to No. 6 in ’25. Let’s start at the end with Kyle Monangai, a seventh-round steal who ran for 783 yards at a healthy 4.6 a pop. The bowling-ball back provided the thunder to D’Andre Swift’s lightning, giving Caleb the enviable support of a top-three ground game. Frankly, that was Chicago’s offensive base all season long. But the Bears also got cooking through the air, especially once their top two picks were fully integrated into the offense. From Week 10 through the end of the regular season, Chicago boasted the two most productive rookie pass catchers in the entire league: WR Luther Burden III topped the board in that span with 481 receiving yards, while TE Colston Loveland ranked just behind him with 479. And Loveland continued to ascend in the postseason with nearly 200 more yards in two games.

I had to break in here.

Did you know Burden was the top rookie receiver in the entire league over the last nine weeks?

I knew he picked it up in the second half, but didn’t realize it was that much. You can see in Burden’s game that he has a different play speed. His ability to stop and start and make defenders miss warrants him being schemed up touches and being the primary read on more plays next season.

Lastly, the Bears’ offensive line looked complete after Ozzy Trapilo took over the blind side in Week 12. Unfortunately, the towering tackle ruptured his patellar tendon on Wild Card Weekend. That’s a pretty rough knee injury — one that could carry over into next season — so Trapilo’s rehab will be key. But combining this crop of rookies with the significant additions from the previous two drafts (Williams, WR Rome Odunze and RT Darnell Wright), Chicago has a spectacular young core to illuminate Johnson’s beautiful offensive mind.

To be fair, the Bears’ class had a few misses: Frazier on the non-football injury list all season, Turner slow to recover from an offseason ankle injury before going down with a torn ACL, and Hyppolite unable to get on the field much.

But if the hits can keep ascending, and the other guys can bounce back, this class has a chance to be one of the Bears’ all-time bests.

In case you were wondering, the Detroit Lions ranked 16th (B) on the list, and the Minnesota Vikings ranked 28th (C).

Read the full article here