The Chicago Bears entered the 2025 NFL draft with a myriad of promising offensive players and the chance to add even more firepower with the No. 10 pick. They took Michigan star TE Colston Loveland, and even though he got off to a slow start this season, he proved the doubters wrong by leading the team in receiving yards.
While the question was raised, not many people thought the Bears would draft a running back early. They had a proven veteran in D'Andre Swift, and they seemed more interested in giving Caleb Williams another weapon in the passing game.
That's why, despite his best wishes, they didn't get TreVeyon Henderson. The rookie out of Ohio State went to the New England Patriots at No. 38, and he just admitted that he thought he was going to be in the Windy City instead.
TreVeyon Henderson Wanted to Play for the Chicago Bears
"When I was getting the call, my TV was a little delayed, and the Chicago Bears, I thought they were up," Henderson said at Super Bowl Media Day, per CHGO. "And when I got the phone call I thought that it was the Chicago Bears, and they told me it was the New England Patriots, I was smiling but my heart sunk at the same time because during the draft process everyone was telling me Patriots is the last team, the last one that you want to go to. I'm believing whatever they said. I'm trying to dodge the Patriots at all costs. But then I got picked by them, and it was such a crazy moment."
Henderson was one of the most prominent running back prospects in this class, so he clearly could've helped any team. That said, the Bears probably feel pretty good about the way things turned out for them.
They took Luther Burden III with the very next pick, and he closed the season on a high note. The rookie wide receiver from Missouri eclipsed 600 receiving yards, and he looks like a superstar in the making.
On top of that, they got tremendous value by taking Kyle Monangai in the seventh round. The bruising tackle-breaker rushed for 738 yards and five scores, proving to be a perfect complement to Swift in the backfield.
Henderson showed flashes as a rookie, but he was barely involved in the running game early in the season. Of course, he can still turn out to be a superstar, and, unlike the Bears, he's preparing for the Super Bowl.
Even so, unless he winds up a Hall of Famer and the Bears' youngsters flop after an impressive rookie season, Chicago should have no regrets. They probably wouldn't have been able to get him even if they had been interested in his services, but it all turned out just perfect for GM Ryan Poles.