There’s a common and basic understanding in the NFL that championship teams are built through the NFL draft. So, when a team begins a season as a serious contender to win it all, it’s natural to assume they’ve hit on recent draft classes and are stocked with young talent.
The Chicago Bears fit this description. They were one of the NFL’s youngest teams in 2018 and finished the year 12-4 as NFC North champions. The 2019 season has Super Bowl aspirations led by young stars Mitch Trubisky, Roquan Smith, Allen Robinson and several others.
However, according to ESPN, the Bears’ under-25 talent doesn’t rank among the NFL’s best. In fact, they’re in the bottom five.
Chicago Bears, No. 27
The Bears accelerated the timetable that made them the No. 10 team in the under-25 rankings this time last year with their blockbuster trade for Khalil Mack. I doubt the team regrets that decision the year after recording the eighth-best defensive season in DVOA history (1986-2018), but it did cost them their first- and second-round draft picks this year, and drove their decline to the No. 27 ranking. The other major player in that decline is Mitchell Trubisky, who has turned 25 and also failed to provide a definitive answer of whether he can be the team’s franchise quarterback.
Ok, so if we’re being technical, Trubisky is 25; he isn’t under 25. He ‘graduated’ from consideration for ESPN’s list and it’s one of the main reasons the Bears dropped 17 spots since 2018.
By comparison, the Browns check in at No. 1 because of Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, Kareem Hunt and Myles Garrett. That’s quite the list of young dudes.
Bears fans shouldn’t get too worked up over this ranking. Players tend to peak after a few years in the league, and that’s usually right around the time they turn 25 or 26. Chicago is in that window now and they’re ready to make their run at the Lombardi Trophy.
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