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Chicago Bears 2026 NFL Draft Preview

Chicago Bears 2026 NFL Draft Preview

Coming off their amazing NFC North Championship in 2025, the Chicago Bears are moving forward, looking to improve once again. Can GM Ryan Poles gather more difference makers for this Bears squad?

The first chance to add pieces to HC Ben Johnson’s playoff team will be tonight in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Bears will be drafting 25th, which is their lowest draft spot in years. Here’s a complete list of Bears picks over the next three days:

Thursday : Round 1, #25 overall

Friday : Round 2, #25 (#57 overall)

Friday : Round 2, #28 (#60 overall)

Friday : Round 3, #25 (#89 overall)

Saturday : Round 4, #29 (#129 overall)

Saturday : Round 7, #23 (#239 overall)

Saturday : Round 7, #25 (#241 overall)

Dutch Lion’s mock draft starts with the Las Vegas Raiders, and we will predict all selections through #24, then all of the Bears selections.

2026 NFL Draft – April 23-25, 2026 – Pittsburgh, PA

  1. Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza/QB/Indiana
  2. New York Jets – Arvell Reese/EDGE/Ohio State
  3. Arizona Cardinals – David Bailey/EDGE/Texas Tech
  4. Tennessee Titans – Jeremiyah Love/RB/Notre Dame
  5. New York Giants – Caleb Downs/S/Ohio State
  6. Cleveland Browns – Spencer Fano/OT/Utah
  7. Washington Redskins/Commanders – Carnell Tate/WR/Ohio State
  8. New Orleans Saints – Makai Lemon/WR/USC
  9. Kansas City Chiefs – Kenyon Sadiq/TE/Oregon
  10. New York Giants (from Cincinnati Bengals) – Jordyn Tyson/WR/Arizona St.
  11. Miami Dolphins – Denzel Boston/WR/Washington
  12. Dallas Cowboys -Sonny Styles/LB/Ohio State
  13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – Francis Mauigoa/OT/Miami
  14. Baltimore Ravens – Chris Bell/WR/Louisville
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Peter Woods/DT/Clemson
  16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) – Ty Simpson/QB/Alabama
  17. Detroit Lions – Rueben Bain/DE/Miami
  18. Minnesota Vikings – Dillon Thieneman/S/Oregon – Very similar to Vikings long-time star safety Harrison Smith
  19. Carolina Panthers – Caleb Lomu/OT/Utah
  20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers) – Mansoor Delane/CB/LSU
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Keldric Faulk/EDGE/Auburn
  22. Los Angeles Chargers – Kadyn Proctor/OT/Alabama
  23. Philadelphia Eagles – Jermod McCoy/CB/Tennessee
  24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) – KC Concepcion/WR/Texas A&M
  25. Chicago Bears – Kayden McDonald/DT/Ohio State/6-3 326/NFL Comparison: Vince Wilfork/DT/New England/retired, T.J. Parker/DE/EDGE/Clemson/6-3 265/NFL Comparison: Nick Bosa/EDGE/San Francisco 49ers, or Emmanuel McNeil-Warren/S/Toledo/6-2 202/NFL Comparison: Derwin James/S/L.A. Chargers : Who is GM Ryan Poles going to take tonight at approximately 10:15pm central time? It can be very hard to project the 25th pick because we obviously don’t know who will be available. For example, let’s say someone like Rueben Bain or Jeremiyah Love were somehow overlooked in the top 24 and snaked their way to the Bears, would Poles and HC Ben Johnson change their initial strategy?… You betcha! Having said that, I have narrowed it down to three probable players, one at defensive tackle, edge rusher/defensive end, and safety. I’m leaning towards a run stuffing DT. If Poles goes this route, it seems likely that …..
    • Kayden McDonald from Ohio State could be the guy. McDonald is one of, if not the, youngest player in this NFL Draft. He played for three seasons at OSU, where he proved to be a dominant space eater at 6’3″ and 325 pounds. He amassed 65 tackles last season, including 9 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. He also forced two fumbles. He might be the best run-defender in this year’s Draft. As Athlon wrote in their annual Preview: “McDonald is a dominant run defender with the size and strength to be a valuable early-down presence for any NFL defense.” McDonald would be the run stuffer to really help this Bears defense, especially on first and second downs. He would be a better, younger version of Andrew Billings. I compare him to a Vince Wilfork or a Vita Vea.
    • T.J. Parker from Clemson might be the best EDGE rusher left for the Bears when they are drafting at #25 overall. Parker is big at 6’3″ and 265 pounds. He did not have the greatest junior season in ’25, with only 5 sacks and 9.5 TFL’s. However, his first two years at Clemson were much more impressive, as he had 5.5 sacks and 12.5 TFL’s as a freshman and then 11 sacks and 19.5 TFL’s as a sophomore. He forced 6 fumbles as a soph, which is a very high number in one college season. Parker should be solid as a DE in a 4-3 system like Bears DC Dennis Allen’s. He is not only a pass rusher, but a good run defender and projects to be a three-down player with his skill set and intuition for sniffing out screen passes. He has a very high football IQ, making him one of the most pro-ready prospects in this Draft. Parker would be a solid pick at 25th overall.
    • Emmanuel McNeil-Warren intrigues me as much as anyone in this draft. He is a big safety from a smaller school, Toledo. He is the kind of player that normally moves up to a Power Five conference school once he breaks out at a MAC school. However, McNeil was loyal and stayed at Toledo. He amassed 5 interceptions, 9 forced fumbles, 13 PBU’s, 11 TFL’s, and 214 total tackles over his four seasons at Toledo, proving that he’s a playmaker. This is important for the Bears as they just lost both starting safeties this offseason in Jaquon Brisker and Kevin Byard. McNeil-Warren has a chance to be a ball-hawking safety and explosive tackler in the open field. Athlon wrote: “One of the most underrated prospects in this class, McNeil-Warren was a big-play machine for the Rockets, and he’s got all the physical and mental traits to quickly become that same kind of impact player at the next level”. Impressive stuff.

Then on Friday, the Bears will have three selections. Depending on who Poles ends up selecting in the 1st round, he’ll likely look for players at different positions with his two second rounders and one third rounder.

Round 2, #25 (#57 overall) : Connor Lew/C/Auburn/6-3 300/NFL Comparison: Drew Dalman/C/Chicago Bears/6-3 301/(retired) – Ironic, no? Trust me, I did not come up with this NFL comp. It is written in Lindy’s Pro Football Draft 2026 Preview magazine, right there on page 46. As Lindy’s noted: “Dalman fell all the way to the fourth round in 2021. He heard similar concerns [as Lew] – size, arm length – but just enjoyed a Pro Bowl season with the Bears. Lew can be as successful as Dalman if he adjusts to the strength of defensive tackles.” I know what you’re thinking. This seems too obvious of a pick for Poles to make. Will Lew be available at #57 as the top prospective center?

Round 2, #28 (#60 overall) : R Mason Thomas/EDGE/Oklahoma/6-2 249/NFL Comparison: Nik Bonitto/LB/Denver Broncos/6-3 240 – R Mason Thomas reminded me of another Oklahoma LB from a few years ago named Nik Bonitto. Bonitto has since become a star in Denver. Could Thomas replicate his career success? Pegged as a 2nd rounder, R Mason Thomas is a tenacious edge rusher, piling up 15.5 sacks combined over the last two seasons over 23 games. He also had 22 TFL’s, 14 QB hits, 4 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 PBU’s. Thomas is smallish, like Bonitto. However, that didn’t hold him back against rugged SEC competition. I see Thomas as a potential difference making Edge rusher, rather than being a three down DE who strives in defending the run. However, Thomas is more of a pass rush specialist, coming in on 3rd downs or obvious passing downs. Thomas might do very well as a rotational pass rusher for the Bears, and they certainly need this as they ranked very low in the NFL in sacks over the last few years.

Round 3, #25 (#89 overall) : A.J. Haulcy/S/LSU/6-0 222/NFL Comparison: Jaquon Brisker/S/Pittsburgh Steelers/former Chicago Bears/6-1 204 – Haulcy is known as a hitter, which sounds familiar. Brisker was also known as a hitter coming out of Penn St. Unfortunately, Brisker was too often concussed and injured. Recently Brisker signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thus, Chicago has a hole at Safety. If Poles doesn’t get McNeil-Warren in the 1st Round, we suggest taking a Safety with one of these next selections. Haulcy has rare movement skills for a 222 pounder. He is both fast and physical. Over his four college seasons, Haulcy intercepted 10 passes including 3 last year. He also broke up 19 in his career, as well as making 347 total tackles. Haulcy has unique abilities and if Poles does NOT take McNeil-Warren in the 1st Round, we highly suggest that he takes Haulcy in the 2nd or 3rd Round.

Round 4, #29 (#129 overall) : Jacob Rodriguez/LB/Texas Tech/6-0 230/NFL Comparison: Zach Thomas/LB/Miami Dolphins/5-11 228/(retired) – He has a nose for the ball, compiling 317 total tackles, over 25 TFL’s, 6 sacks, 10 QB hits, 13 forced fumbles (including a whopping 7 FF’s last year! This is as high as we’ve ever heard in one college season), 6 interceptions (4 last year), and 12 PBU’s (6 last year). Whoa! These numbers are outrageous. Many will call Rodriguez undersized. But who cares? He’s a natural playmaker. Like a former Texas Tech LB from yesteryear, Zach Thomas, Rodriguez might thrive in that same mold. Thomas went on to the Hall of Fame. Could Rodriguez also be on his way to Canton? Another comparison is to newly inducted Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly. If the Bears could nab Rodriguez with any of these Friday night picks, do it! He’s a playmaker, a difference maker, and worth any risks. Rodriguez is clearly one of my favorite players in this year’s NFL Draft.

Round 7, #23 (#239 overall) : Eli Heidenreich/WR/Navy/6-0 206/NFL Comparison: Kyle Juszczyk/FB/San Francisco – This is purely a “Ben Johnson” pick. Heidenreich is a hybrid type player that Coach Johnson might have fun using as a fullback/H-Back like a Kyle Juszczyk or Taysom Hill. Heidenreich was a receiver for Navy, but learned and earned a hardnosed mentality which translated into a successful career. He finished as Navy’s all-time leading receiver in yards and touchdowns. He’s a hybrid who can be used in multiple ways. In other words, Johnson might create plays for him. While Heidenreich would be a waste of a pick under former failed Bears administrations such as Dave Wannstedt’s or John Fox’s or OC John Schoop’s, we see potential with Ben Johnson drawing up plays to use Heidenreich’s talents.

Round 7, #25 (#241 overall) : Marcus Allen/CB/North Carolina/6-2 190 – Let’s face it. 7th rounders usually don’t even make the active roster. But for every loser, there’s a small chance you might uncover a Julian Edelman, or a Shannon Sharpe. So that’s why you make the selections, digging for gold, as it were. You hope you unsurface some real 18 carat gold, rather than “fools gold”. Let’s take Marcus Allen here, not Marcus Allen/RB/USC/Oakland Raiders/Kansas City Chiefs/Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, but Marcus Allen, a cornerback from UNC. This kid has potential. Why not him? He was coached by Bill Belichick last year. Maybe he learned something. He had 8 PBU’s, 36 Tackles, 2 TFL’s, and zero interceptions. Who knows?

To recap, the Chicago Bears have seven picks in this year’s Draft, with the first selection at #25 overall. It’s going to be difficult to get important contributors, guys that can thrive for several years. But that’s the general manager’s job. Is Ryan Poles up to the task? Can he acquire more talent that helps keep this Bears playoff team at the top of the NFC North?

In a perfect scenario for Chicago, they will get the defensive tackle in the 1st Round, then a safety and an edge rusher/defensive end in the 2nd and 3rd Rounds. With four picks in the top 89 overall, covering those three positions is more than a want, it’s a necessity. Those are clearly three of the top “needs” for this roster currently. Outside of those spots, a center, an offensive tackle, a cornerback, and a receiving weapon are all “wants.”

This year’s Draft is a little different. As Bears fans, we’re usually picking in the top ten. Hopefully we can still have some fun, despite the late draft slot. It all starts tonight at 7pm. To be a contender, you need to keep building each and every year. This is the Bears chance to improve. This is Ryan Poles chance to prove that he’s the right man for this job.

So we offer good luck in this important time for the Chicago Bears. Enjoy the Draft.

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