Grading the Bears Pick: OL Ozzy Trapilo

Jacob

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 5 hours ago

When the Bears entered day two of the NFL draft, they held picks 39, 41, and 75. They also had three needs to address on their draft board, with offensive line, EDGE rusher, and Running Back at the top of that list. Given where the Bears were positioned to pick, you had to like the chances for Chicago to address their needs, as the Bears were in prime position to make some noise.

Then came the 39th pick when the Bears elected to draft Missouri Wide Receiver Luther Burden III. That was followed by trading away their 41st and 75th overall pick in exchange for 56 and 62. That alone was a strange trade, especially when looking at some of the names who went off the board between the Bears' first and second picks of day 2.

However, the Bears did address one of their areas of need later in the second round as they used the No. 56 overall pick to draft Boston College offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo and will now add him to an already improved offensive line. A right tackle by trade, Trapilo was never viewed as one of the premier tackles in college. Still, after putting together a strong 2024 campaign, followed by an impressive Senior Bowl showing, Trapilo is one of those guys who started to make his way up the draft board in recent weeks.

Most scouts view Trapilo as a plug-and-play game. He is a massive 6-8 and 319 pounds, the ideal size for an NFL-level offensive tackle. Trapilo played his entire career with Boston College, so you’d expect him to be on the radar of Bears General Manager Ryan Poles. Poles was a BC Eagles offensive lineman who protected Matt Ryan back in the day.

You saw the type of quarterback Ryan turned out to be, so here's to hoping Poles knows what Trapilo brings to the table, as the success and failure of Caleb Williams falls on the overall protection he has up front. Listed as the 13th overall offensive tackle in this year's draft, some may consider this a reach for the Bears, but given the need for offensive help, the Bears had to get him in this spot before it got too late.

Comparable to Colton McKivitz, NFL draft insider Lance Zierlein had high praise for Trapilo, and it's something the Bears fans are hoping comes to fruition.

Zierlein had this to say about Trapilo.

"Tall tackle prospect with NFL bloodlines and a noticeable improvement in play strength last season," Zierlein said. "The run-blocking tape falls below the protection tape due to leverage and adjustment limitations we frequently see with taller tackles. Trapilo won’t generate much movement in the run game, but good upper-body power helps him neutralize the edge. He operates with sound pass sets, active hands, and excellent arm extension. He has a good feel for pocket depth and can ride rushers over the top, but he will sometimes get beat by inside counters and speed-to-power rushers. Trapilo could operate as a swing tackle early on, but his potential in pass protection gives him a good chance to become a starter."

Looking back at this past season, Trapilo had a good season, which is why the Eagles saw the improvement they made. His anchor was better but I think he still needs another 10 pounds of mass to hold up against power in our league. Look for that to be his area of focus this season as he will look to challenge for playing time at the tackle position.

Pick Grade B:

This is a solid B, even if this could be considered a reach. The Bears needed offensive line, and after several of their targets came off the board before they could pick again, Chicago had to focus on the best player available. Trapilo was the best offensive lineman left in this spot, and the Bears had no choice but to take him here before it got too late.