Chicago Bears NFL Draft Target: Mason Taylor

Kirby Lee - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 1 day ago

As we get closer to the 2025 NFL draft, the excitement is building as the Chicago Bears are looking to make a major splash this season. They have gotten off to a great start this offseason with the moves they have made and the head coach they brought in, but with four picks in the top 75, there is plenty of room to make another splash.

Over the past few months, you have heard plenty of names linked to the Bears, especially with the No. 10 pick, and for the most part, many of those names make sense for what this team is looking to do. Recently, you have seen a trend of names being added to the list that are intriguing options, with Tyler Warren being one of the more recent players and a potential round-one target.

Going beyond round one, the Bears are going to have three more selections on day two to help this team, and a lot of those selections could come on the offensive side of the ball. LSU tight end Mason Taylor could find himself as one of the Bears' day-two options as he has started to ascend up the draft boards.

Taylor has a rich history in the NFL, as his father, Jason, was one of the best defensive players in Miami Dolphins history. Although not a defensive end like his father, Taylor has gone about carving out his own path and has emerged as one of the better and more consistent tight ends in the NCAA.

At 6-5 and 255 pounds, Taylor has all the size NFL teams are looking for in a tight end and can play a role in both the passing and running game. This past season saw him have the best overall season of his career, hauling in 55 receptions for 546 yards and two scores. That came after picking up 348 yards in 2023 and 414 yards in 2022, as he has always been a massive part of the LSU offense.

Even if the tight end position isn't a significant need for the Bears, they do need someone behind Cole Kmet now that Gerald Everett has been cut, and Taylor is someone who could thrive in this Bears system. Viewed solely as a day three product most of the offseason, Taylor is another one of those players who stood out at the combine and has now emerged as a round 2 or even late round one target.

Listed as the fourth-best tight end in this season's class, Taylor could have just as much upside as anyone not named Tyler Warren, and that alone is an intriguing thing to think about. Even if he didn't have what you would call a breakout season with the Tigers, he started to show what he could do last year, and pairing him with Kmet could be something special. He is also one of those prospects generating enough buzz that it could fall into grabbing the best player available trend.

Since his dad is a Hall of Fame player, Taylor has the work ethic to produce in this league and the drive to become a starter for a long time. Some have gone on record to compare him to Dallas Goedert, and if that is what he turns out to be, it would be hard to pass on him if available in the early rounds.

Taylor is a very athletic tight end who can do a lot of the little things. He also has a very diverse route tree to make plays in the passing game. Given how diverse Ben Johnson and his offense can be, Taylor seems like a good fit, as he could provide the Bears with a unique twist for two TE sets.