{"id":226959,"date":"2025-04-09T13:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T17:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=226959"},"modified":"2025-04-09T13:31:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T17:31:47","slug":"third-round-targets-for-the-chicago-bears-in-the-2025-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/04\/09\/third-round-targets-for-the-chicago-bears-in-the-2025-nfl-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Third Round Targets for the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With all the buzz surrounding what the Chicago Bears will do with the 10th overall pick and their pair of second-round selections, the depth of talent expected to be available in the third round hasn&#8217;t received nearly enough attention. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025-nfl-draft-profiles\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">This year&#8217;s draft class is loaded,<\/a> and several prospects who might&#8217;ve gone earlier in previous drafts could still be on the board when the Bears are on the clock at pick No. 72. Here are a few intriguing names to watch as potential third-round steals for Chicago.<\/p>\n<h2>Third Round Targets for the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft<\/h2>\n<h3>Defensive Tackle: CJ West, Indiana<\/h3>\n<p>The 2025 defensive tackle class is stacked, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/04\/07\/cj-west-2025-nfl-scouting-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">CJ West<\/a> remains one of its most underrated gems. Boasting an impressive <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MathBomb\/status\/1907069186574356985\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">9.15 Relative Athletic Score (RAS),<\/a> West brings athleticism and strong run-stopping ability to the table. If he can continue to refine his pass-rush technique, his upside is tremendous.<\/p>\n<h3>Defensive End: Jordan Burch, Oregon<\/h3>\n<p>The more you watch film on <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/04\/07\/bears-mock-draft-with-a-surprising-twist\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Jordan Burch,<\/a> the more there is to like. At 6&#8217;6&#8243; and 295 pounds, he&#8217;s a versatile player who can line up anywhere along the defensive front. Burch combines an explosive first step with solid pass-rushing skills and would be a perfect scheme fit in Chicago, potentially developing into a key piece of the Bears&#8217; defense.<\/p>\n<h3>Offensive Line: Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/02\/01\/2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report-jonah-savaiinaea-arizona\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Jonah Savaiinaea<\/a> is a true draft sleeper and would be a fantastic addition in the third round. His ability to play both guard and tackle, paired with his powerful hands and dominant run-blocking, make him an exciting prospect. If he improves his mobility and pad level, he has the tools to thrive as a future starter on the Bears&#8217; offensive line.<\/p>\n<h3>Running Back: Damien Martinez, Miami<\/h3>\n<p>Should the Bears miss out on a top-tier running back earlier in the draft, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/03\/29\/2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report-damien-martinez-miami\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Damien Martinez<\/a> would be a great consolation prize. A physical back with outstanding contact balance, Martinez consistently breaks tackles and picks up extra yardage. He&#8217;d form a strong one-two punch with D&#8217;Andre Swift in the backfield.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Underclassmen Power Conference RBs who posted at least two seasons of 90.0+ Rushing Grade on at least 150 carries since the 2017 class:<\/p>\n<p>Omarion Hampton<br \/>Quinshon Judkins<br \/>DAMIEN MARTINEZ<br \/>Bucky Irving<br \/>Bijan Robinson<br \/>Jonathan Taylor<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fusue (@DevyEusuf) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DevyEusuf\/status\/1909496770255868096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Safety: Andrew Mukuba, Texas<\/h3>\n<p>A ball-hawk safety, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/03\/11\/2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report-andrew-mukuba-texas-panthers-among-team-fits\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Andrew Mukuba<\/a> could be the future alongside Jaquan Brisker in the secondary. Mukuba ended the 2024 season with <a href=\"https:\/\/beargoggleson.com\/texas-safety-andrew-mukuba-should-be-the-chicago-bears-next-free-safety-01jqc2yhntx7\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">33 forced incompletions, which was the second most among safeties last season with at least 253 coverage snaps.<\/a> The two major concerns with him are his missed tackles and size; if he can bulk up and cut down the missed tackles, he&#8217;ll be a premier safety in the NFL.<\/p>\n<h3>Linebacker: Carson Schwesinger, UCLA<\/h3>\n<p>With Jack Sanborn leaving and T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds nearing the end of their contracts, the Bears could prioritize drafting a linebacker sooner rather than later. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/03\/24\/carson-schwesinger-2025-nfl-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Carson Schwesinger<\/a> from UCLA is a high-motor, instinctive player who leaves it all on the field. Though slightly undersized, he&#8217;ll need to add some muscle to handle bigger NFL backs and tight ends.<\/p>\n<h3>Tight End: Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green<\/h3>\n<p>If the Bears want to add a pass-catching tight end to complement Cole Kmet, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/01\/05\/early-2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report-harold-fannin-jr-bowling-green\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Harold Fannin Jr.<\/a> is the guy. As a blocking TE, he&#8217;ll need some work, but Fannin Jr. was dominant during his time at Bowling Green, amassing 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns in his final season.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: Rich Barnes &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the 72nd pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, there are several intriguing options for the Chicago Bears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4976,"featured_media":226976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,1647],"tags":[32605,33001,33174,7403,33463,33185,33128,32993,32957],"class_list":["post-226959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bears","category-nfl-draft","tag-2025-nfl-draft","tag-andrew-mukuba","tag-carson-schwesinger","tag-chicago-bears-news","tag-cj-west","tag-damien-martinez","tag-harold-fannin-jr","tag-jonah-savaiinaea","tag-jordan-burch"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226959"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227230,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226959\/revisions\/227230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}