The Chicago Bears could go a lot of different directions in the 2026 NFL draft, but most fans are hoping for them to take an edge rusher with the top pick.
If they do not take one with their first pick, the good news is that the team has three other selections on day two to add to the room. A potential worst-case scenario would be leaving all four of those picks with no edge rusher.Â
Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic broke down the first 100 picks of the draft, which meant four picks for the Bears. He went with safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr, wide receiver Chris Brazzell, and defensive tackle Chris McClellan with the four picks.
The Athletic presents a worst-case outcome in their latest 3-round mock draft
On the surface, none of them is a bad pick. On the whole, the Bears just created overkill on the interior while being far too weak along the edge rusher room.Â
McNeil-Warren may be the easiest pick to swallow, as he is projected to go higher. He fills an immediate need and can start right away. Zion Young and Cashius Howell were the next edge rushers to go, though.Â
Jackson is a good prospect, and the Bears have a lot of names on the interior defensive line, but they do not have legitimate long-term starters.Â
Brazzell was in the same range as those picks. The team did lose DJ Moore, but with Luther Burden and Colston Loveland expected to see more snaps and Cole Kmet in the mix, which gives them fewer three-wide receiver looks, this pick may not have been as needed.Â
He just had Derrick Moore and Keyron Crawford go a few picks earlier on the edge, and then did not have one get taken until nearly 20 picks later, so this is where he saw the edge rusher tier end, and he saw the Bears miss it. Still, this is going to be devastating if it happens, and this is why there is a risk to taking a safety earlier, even if that was the best player.Â
Would the Bears have been better with Howell or Young and then a safety like Treydan Stukes or AJ Haulcey?
Read more: Chicago Bears post-free agency safety depth chart: No choice option at position
McClellan went at pick 89, while safety Zakee Wheatly went 90th and edge rusher Joshua Josephs went 91st. If this happened, Bears fans would talk about McClellan, the fourth or fifth-string interior rusher, over Josephs, who would compete to start for years to come. This one makes by far the least sense.