25. Chicago Bears: Caleb Banks, DL, Florida
Nobody knows the value of winning in the trenches like Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. We saw that last offseason when the Bears made the trade for Joe Thuney before also acquiring help on the offensive line in the form of Jonah Jackson (trade), Drew Dalman (free agency), and Ozzy Trapilo (2nd-round pick). The glow-up was real.
Now, the Bears need to do that on the defensive side of the ball. As awesome as this defense has been at creating takeaways in 2025, can they realistically be expected to keep that up forever? Maybe they can be. But when you can upgrade in the trenches, you raise the floor of your entire team.
Getting a talent like Caleb Banks for the defensive front is only one piece of the puzzle, but an important one for a team like the Bears. They should be looking to upgrade that defensive front in a variety of ways during this offseason.
26. San Francisco 49ers: Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa
Some guys at the college level just have the perfect NFL team fit that you can see coming from a million miles away. Gennings Dunker playing in an iteration of the Kyle Shanahan offense? That's one you can see from a million miles away.
And how about just inserting him directly into the Kyle Shanahan scheme, and not just an iteration of it?
The 49ers are still getting elite-level play from Trent Williams at the left tackle position, but there is no question that they need to put one eye on the future for left tackle as well as some other spots on that offensive line. After a heavy emphasis on the defensive side of the ball in the 2025 NFL Draft, we should see GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan shift back to the offensive side, starting in the trenches. And Dunker is a hand-in-glove fit.