The picture is starting to become clearer about who the Chicago Bears will draft in the 2026 NFL draft.
They have their defined needs, and now that analysts have a stronger idea of how the draft will fall, the projections get more accurate.
Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic recently did a seven-round mock draft. As a beat reporter, he knows the team well, and his projection can give us a good idea of what the team will do.
Round 1, Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
This pick is a bit surprising given their defensive needs, but tackle is unsettled, and as we have gotten closer to the draft, there are reports that the team is interested in addressing this early.
Round 2, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State
If they do not take an edge rusher in the first round, they almost have to take one here. The good news for them is that this is a deeper group overall, and Dennis-Sutton could still be a starter in year one.
Round 2, De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss
With the loss of DJ Moore, this helps, but some fans may have expected defensive line or safety here.
Round 3, Jalen Kilgore, S, South Carolina
Here is the safety. The rumors of the team taking Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are tough to believe because it is much harder to find an edge rusher or defensive lineman at this point in the draft, but finding someone like Kilgore, who could start at safety early on, is possible in the third round.
Round 4, Febechi Nwaiwu, OL, Oklahoma
Fishbain notes that while he was a guard, he did have two starts at center at Oklahoma. If the Bears had a full plan to transition him to center, this would make sense, but otherwise, they may have wanted to go in another direction.
Round 7, Owen Heinecke, LB, Oklahoma
In the seventh round, it is hard to knock a linebacker who can find his way on special teams.
Round 7, Pat Coogan, C, Indiana
Coogan gives them additional options at center, which makes the Nwaiwu pick easier to buy into. At the same time, that fourth-round pick could have been invested in the defensive line, which the team did not add in the draft.
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Edge rusher is definitely a bigger need than the interior defensive line, and the Bears did bring in a lot of competition, but it would still be surprising to get through the whole draft with one pick on the defensive front and three on the defense as a whole.
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