March is officially over and it's hard to believe that the 2025 NFL Draft is just over three weeks away. This year's draft will be taking place at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI, and the Chicago Bears will be heading to their NFC North rival's home stadium with seven draft picks — including the 10th overall selection.
A top-10 pick is often high enough to land a game-changing prospect, and the 2025 class has no shortage of impact players that the Bears can target in Round 1. In fact, the latest NFL draft rumors suggest that Chicago has officially put one of its starters on notice with a recent scouting decision.
Bears Scout Penn State TE Tyler Warren, Put Cole Kmet on Notice
On Saturday, Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline wrote about various NFL draft rumors he heard during the previous day. One included Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who didn't participate in his team's pro day in favor of holding upcoming private workouts.
As it turns out, the Bears will be one of the teams that will be lucky enough to get a closer look at the pass-catching prospect.
"I was told (Warren) is focusing on a handful of teams and will showcase his talents for them before the draft," Pauline wrote. "The New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Indianapolis Colts were three of the teams named."
Notes from March 28 pro-day includes:
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) March 29, 2025
* More on Warren not working out out @PennStateFball
* @TerpsFootball's Felton cements himself as a day two pick- meets with 7 WR coaches
* @Lions @Patriots impressed by Terp LBhttps://t.co/Y4g55URDO7
Warren is often viewed as the 2025 draft's top tight end and it isn't hard to see why. The 6-foot-5, 256-pound playmaker is coming off a career year with the Nittany Lions that saw him convert a Big Ten-leading 104 catches into 1,233 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, helping him finish seventh in the 2024 Heisman Trophy voting race.
If the Bears are looking to draft the best player available at No. 10, Warren certainly fits that bill with the upside he brings to the table. Having said that, potentially bringing in the up-and-coming stud would likely spell bad news from current Chicago TE1, Cole Kmet.
Kmet, 26, has been with the Bears since he was drafted 43rd overall in 2020. The former Notre Dame product displayed plenty of potential throughout his first NFL season, including when he recorded personal bests in catches (73) and yards (719) with six TDs in 2023 after signing a four-year, $50 million contract extension before the season began.
The 2024 campaign marked the second year of Kmet's deal, and it's safe to say he left the fanbase feeling disappointed. The veteran TE's numbers dropped across the board as he posted a 47-474-4 stat line across 17 appearances, while his 60.6 PFF offense grade was also only the No. 42 mark at his position.
The fact that the Bears are privately scouting Warren indicates that they might not be completely sold on Kmet as the TE1. If that's the case, Chicago could cut ties with Kmet sooner rather than later considering how $8.4 million in savings can be created by cutting the Lake Barrington, IL native once the 2025 season ends, per Spotrac.
The NFL draft can be unpredictable, and there's a good chance Warren won't be there when the Bears are on the clock. However, if the Penn State TE is still on the board at No. 10, don't be surprised if general manager Ryan Poles rolls the dice on him as a potential Kmet replacement.
Round 1 of the 2025 NFL draft begins on Thursday, Apr. 24.