Bears draft DT Shemar Turner: How he fits, draft grade and scouting intel

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The Chicago Bears finally went defense in the 2025 NFL Draft, taking Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner.

The 62nd overall selection, which the Bears received as part of their trade with the Bills, Turner started 35 games over the past three seasons for the Aggies. He had 10 1/2 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2023. In 2024, he had 5 1/2 tackles for loss and two sacks.

He’s the first draft pick for new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit, and joins Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo as the new acquisitions for the defensive line.

Turner measured 6-foot-3, 290 pounds at the combine. He played through a stress fracture in 2024 and a torn labrum in 2023. He was second-team All-SEC in 2023 and blocked two field goals.

‘The Beast’ breakdown

Turner ranked No. 56 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:

With his active motor and body quickness, Turner finds ways to pierce gaps and affect the backfield action. He has a strong, explosive grip to snatch and displace blockers in the run game, although he can be a liability at times when he abandons his gap or fails to break down and finish. Much will be made of his overzealous tendencies, which draw attention from officials, but as one scout described him: “He’s the type you want on your side.” Overall, Turner needs to introduce more discipline to his play style, but he prides himself on being the aggressor and relies on his initial twitch, fierce hands and combative mentality to be a factor. He projects best as a penetrating one-gap tackle.

Nick Baumgardner grades the pick

One of several explosive Texas A&M defensive linemen, Turner had some dominant flashes against the run and was a pocket pusher who lined up all over the defensive line for the Aggies last season. A three-year starter who has dealt with some injuries, Turner needs to be more gap-sound but could be a very disruptive three-tech for Chicago over time. The Bears are having a very solid draft.

Grade: B

How he fits

Turner brings some depth and ferociousness to the interior defensive line. Allen’s unit needed more bodies, more guys who could rush the passer and stop the run. Turner has the motor and explosiveness to cause problems for interior offensive linemen, giving Allen the ability to rotate players up front. While the Bears have three players presumably ahead of Turner, there was still a need to keep adding players for 2025 and the future. Turner’s weakness, per his scouting report, was discipline — he had five personal-foul penalties last season. If the Bears could harness that energy, the line could use it. Bears director of player personnel Trey Koziol described Turner as “Violent. High energy. Aggressive. He’s powerful and he’s relentless.”

Depth-chart impact

Allen is going to have options, which is a good thing. He’s got Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, Chris Williams, Zacch Pickens, and now Turner. While Dexter and Billings should perform just fine in this scheme — and Dexter has the body type to fit well — Turner is now someone brought in with Allen’s stamp of approval. He can do a bunch of mixing and matching with the interior linemen, depending on the opponent, game situation, etc. Turner could certainly earn a starting job down the line if not this season. He did play edge rusher sophomore and junior year, so there’s some versatility. Said Koziol, “Obviously, he’s got the size, strength and play temperament and anchor to play on the inside. Once he walks in the door, the coaches will have a plan for how they want to use him wherever that may be, whether it’s inside or outside. I think that he’s shown he can do both, which is great.”

They also could have picked …

Several edge players were still on the board — Arkansas’ Landon Jackson, Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer, LSU’s Sai’vion Jones, Oregon’s Jordan Burch and Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmielen. They would’ve had similar impacts as Turner — guys who wouldn’t start right away but would help the pass rush and give Allen some more weapons up front. Running back has also been a common position in conversation, and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson were still available. The Bears certainly could have also looked at safety — Texas’ Andrew Mukuba went two picks later to the Eagles.

Fast evaluation

Koziol highlighted Turner’s “violent” play, and that’s desired on the defensive line — especially the interior. Allen wants players with “knock-back,” Koziol said, and Turner matches that. Among early draft picks under this regime, Turner’s list of “weaknesses” stands out, but bringing him into a locker room with Jarrett and Billings should be the proper environment to help get the most out of him. “Relentless, violence, changing the line of scrimmage,” Koziol said. “I think it really checks the boxes. It’s a good fit for scheme and culture and what we’re looking for.”

(Photo: Maria Lysaker / Imagn Images)

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