It's hard to beat the anticipation of knowing you'll end up with Caleb Williams at the No. 1 overall pick, but the Chicago Bears could be in yet another exciting position as they go into the 2026 NFL Draft.
This year, the Bears don't pick until No. 25 in the first round. But the interesting thing about this year's class is that pick 25 is right about where things get extremely muddy for a lot of experts. The consensus has widely been that anywhere from pick 25 to 75 could be so even that it's difficult to separate talent and grades.
Earlier this week, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach agreed with that sentiment but took it a big step further in his time with the local media:
"It should be an entertaining night. There'll probably be a lot of trades," he said.
"I think that the fans will be in for a treat next Thursday because I think the grades [on prospects] are going to be so close from some of these [offensive] tackles and D-ends and receivers."
Ryan Poles could take full advantage of the impending chaos during the 2026 NFL Draft
If you look at Ryan Poles' history as the Bears' general manager, he has made several trades. Look back at the 2022 NFL Draft where Poles made four trades on Day 3. Sure, that was the final day of the draft, but four trades in one day is something to remember.
Just last year, Poles traded down on Day 2 to acquire more picks. That's precisely the spot we should be watching this year, too, because of those key positions specified by Veach.
The Bears certainly want to be able to find a defensive end, but if there is value to be had later on Day 2, don't underestimate Poles' ability to trade back from pick no. 25. At that spot, there might be some teams who want to move up for a wide receiver, for example.
By 25, we could see the top four wideouts off the board which include Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon and Omar Cooper Jr. Teams that wanted one of them but weren't able to succeed in doing so could then pivot to prospects like KC Concepcion, Chris Brazzell II or Chris Bell, for example, who are all fairly close in their grading by some experts.
Call either one of those three a reach at no. 25, but remember, that's right where it's going to get very difficult to separate lesser talent from the better players.
Before the Bears are on the clock, we could very well have seen several trades already, too, making this draft even more interesting. If Veach's hunch comes true, heck, maybe even the Bears have moved up by that point.
Read more: NFL Draft expert thinks Bears would be reaching on a fan favorite at pick 25
In any event, we might know one thing above all else: draft night will be madness.
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