Chicago Bears fans are reviewing the final few mock drafts as the 2026 NFL Draft gets underway in less than a week.
Most experts have the Bears going defense in the early rounds of the draft, which would be the same strategy that the fan base would go to, but general manager Ryan Poles has said the team is going for the best available player, so things might be different. FanSided's Sayre Bedinger shared his seven-round mock draft, in which the Bears take Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor with the 25th overall pick.
"This draft is shaping up to be a little bit of a rough one for the Bears, who might look into trading some picks for proven veterans," Bedinger said. "Akheem Mesidor looks like he's going to be able to make an impact at the NFL level, but at 25 years old, he's going to be one of the oldest rookies in the NFL. Does that deter teams from taking him in the 1st?"
Bears go edge rusher in the first round of seven-round mock draft
Everyone is getting hung up on the age of Mesidor, but he has proven to be one of the top pass rushers in this draft. Pairing him with Austin Booker and Montez Sweat would at least get the edge rusher room heading in a better direction than they were at going into the offseason.
Here is the rest of the Bears' selections from Bedinger in his mock draft:
- Round 2, Pick 57: AJ Haulcy, Safety, LSU
- Round 2, Pick 60: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
- Round 3, Pick 89: Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
- Round 4, Pick 129: Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC
- Round 7, Pick 239: Enrique Cruz Jr., OT, Kansas
Haulcy is one of the Bears' needs, as they need another starting safety to work with Coby Bryant back there; Cam Lewis is not the answer. Banks would be a steal in the second round as his injury concerns could cause him to drop out of the first round, but the Bears would realistically be getting a first-round talent out of him.
The rest of the draft is offense, which would be smart, as Slaughter is a solid option who could learn behind Garrett Bradbury and potentially be the starting center in 2027. Lane could hop in as the WR3 of the future to work with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden, but Kalif Raymond and Jahdae Walker could help Lane not feel as much pressure to step up right away.
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There may not be as many selections as the Bears had in 2025, but there's potential for Poles to have another great group of rookies join the team.
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