Ben Johnson S Blueprint Why Chicago Bears Nfl Draft Grades Should Have

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 3:44 PM

ben johnson s blueprint why chicago bears nfl draft grades should have

Jay Cutler threw a pair of touchdowns, Greg Olsen cleared 100 receiving yards, and Matt Forte was the picture of stability (28 touches for 134 yards). It was a great time to be a Bears fan. It was January of 2010. That was the last time this franchise won a playoff game, but there is optimism in the Windy City these days with Caleb Williams locked in as their franchise quarterback. Did they take a nice step forward in the 2025 NFL Draft? We take a look at the picks they made and what you can expect from the preps at the professional level.

Looking for all 32 teams’ draft grades? Head to our 2025 NFL Draft Grades for All 32 Teams Tracker to see how we’ve graded other drafts. Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears’ front office hit the offensive side of the ball early and often in this draft. This didn’t come as a major surprise since new head coach Ben Johnson is offensive-minded. The Bears’ offense struggled during Caleb Williams’ rookie season, and they made it a point to put more talent around him heading into Year 2. The 2025 NFL Draft may just provide the final confirmation that Ben Johnson is the kingmaker when it comes to all things football operations for the Chicago Bears.

When Johnson was hired by the Bears, one of the popular beliefs was that he would have a level of control in personnel decisions that none of his predecessors had before him. Given the fact that the Bears spared no expense in courting Johnson, it would make sense that he, in turn, was given control over the team's roster decisions. Even through free agency, it's been clear that Johnson's vision has taken precedence for the Bears. After referencing at the NFL Scouting Combine how the Carolina Panthers overturned their offensive line last offseason, Johnson may have spoiled the additions that would happen a few weeks later—Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, and... Johnson seemingly has become the most influential voice in the Bears' organization. That may be what Field Yates was accounting for when outlining his perfect selections for the Bears during his latest work for ESPN.

Campbell is one of the few "obvious choices" for the Bears at No. 10 should he be on the clock. Despite the fan-created controversy over his arm size, Campbell's play at LSU proved that he can be the long-term left tackle for the Bears. Let’s get one thing straight — Ben Johnson isn’t just drawing up plays on napkins; he’s rewriting the damn blueprint of modern NFL offense. The Detroit Lions didn’t just have a good year under him in 2024 — they detonated defenses like it was a weekly ritual. They averaged a league-best 33.2 points per game and, according to TeamRankings, rewrote the Lions’ franchise record book in total yards (6,962), points (564), and touchdowns (70).

That’s not just efficiency — that’s offensive savagery. And it’s not a fluke. Johnson’s system is a masterclass in creative chaos: formation wizardry, surgical execution, and the kind of adaptability that gives defensive coordinators insomnia. Ben Johnson’s first magic trick? Personnel packages that play mind games with defenses. Most teams telegraph their plays based on groupings.

You see 11 personnel (3 WRs, 1 TE) and it’s probably a pass. You see 12 (2 TEs), probably a run. Not in Johnson’s house. With 11 personnel, the Lions passed 62% of the time, per All_22_Films. No surprise. But flip to 12 personnel?

That pass-run tendency flips to a near 50/50 split. What that means: defenses can’t predict jack. Defenses are trained to read personnel for clues — Johnson turns those clues into red herrings. Then he hits them with motion. Bunch formations. Pre-snap shifts.

One look turns into something completely different post-snap. It’s like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube while getting punched in the face. Take his 12 jumbo sets — extra tight ends, heavy run look — and boom, it’s play-action. Or it’s an outside zone with a twist: guards pulling, tight ends sealing, and receivers cracking down. Whatever the defense preps for, Johnson throws something nastier their way. Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — With their first two picks of the NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected two more pass catchers for quarterback Caleb Williams. DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet — five players drafted in the first two rounds all on the same roster. The Bears need situations like this. They need “good problems to have.” They need to not worry about it. It’s part of the reason general manager Ryan Poles hired coach Ben Johnson, to manage this effectively.

“I know that’s something he can handle, and he’s going to have conversations with the guys about just in terms of being selfless and doing what’s best for the team,” he said. Johnson said he set that tone from Day 1 when veterans reported to Halas Hall three weeks ago. Once the Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson as their head coach, the Chicagoland area averted their attention to the 2025 season. Next for the Bears is the offseason, including trimming their roster and re-tooling in free agency. After that, the Bears will be one step closer to competing in the 2025 NFL regular season, with many eyes on Caleb Williams and what he can accomplish in his second season after being... 1 pick in 2024.

In the most recent installment of 1920 Football Drive — a behind-the-scenes video series put together by the Bears' media team — there was a section where Johnson gave an idea of what his... “Standing on the opposite sideline from [Caleb Williams] this year, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for not only the talent level that he possesses but also the type of person he is,”... “This is going to be — really, I like to fancy it — the quarterback's offense. “We're going to tailor this right around Caleb Williams. It will not be — necessarily — what you've seen from me the last three years. We're going to find out exactly what our quarterback does well, and that's really where we're going to anchor on.”

Not only did he lay out the plans for what he wants to do with their offense, but he also explained how he hopes other defenses will view the Bears under his leadership. Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has gone on record speaking about the depth at running back in the 2025 NFL Draft. He isn’t the only one who holds that belief, with general manager Ryan Poles doubling down on Johnson’s take. The reason both are being asked the question is because of star running back Ashton Jeanty. Holding the No. 10 overall pick, Chicago is in a prime position to select Jeanty assuming he’s still on the board.

And the Bears have been heavily linked into doing so. However, the fact that both Johnson and now Poles have spoken about the 2025 running back depth is telling. In the end, they very may well simply draft Jeanty. But Poles is at least joining Johnson is keeping the Bears’ options open, via Adam Jahns and Adam Hoge. “That’s where you want to weigh the collection of picks that you have with the combinations that are highly likely for you to put together, and what that will look like for your team,”... “You can get into a funky rotation if maybe you go one direction first, and then the rest of the other positions you think you’re going to get are gone, but there’s a surplus...

“It can get a little cloudy. Not that we can’t predict what’s going to be at 10, 39 or 41, we do need to play that game and see what combinations we feel really good about putting together,” Poles continued. “So it will be interesting to see how it plays out.” Chicago Bears rookie head coach Ben Johnson loves himself some scoring. Last season, his final campaign as Detroit’s offensive coordinator, the 38-year-old offensive wiz led the Lions to 4,718 passing yards (second in the league), 2,488 rushing yards (sixth), 39 touchdowns (third), 409.5 yards per... Ben Johnson Theatre (part 1) | 2024 Detroit Lions Highlights | Johnny Gaz Sports #detroitlions #NFL #football pic.twitter.com/3bH05OHG2F

The current Bears roster isn’t track meet material, so come NFL Draft weekend, the rookie sideline general could well insist that Chicago GM Ryan Poles go all offense, all the time. Poles, a former offensive lineman, might not actually need much in the way of convincing.

Ben Johnson S Blueprint Why Chicago Bears Nfl Draft Grades Should Have

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