With the 2025 regular season over after the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots, 29-13, in Super Bowl LX, it’s officially mock draft season.
And to be fair, mock drafts have been coming out since December, but with no more professional football games until next August, this is the time to dive into all the draft content.
ESPN’s Field Yates has been a longtime staple in the industry and specializes in all things draft-related. Yates released his Round 1 mock draft and did so “based on current team needs,” his personal rankings, and what he’s hearing from people around the league.
Who Field Yates thinks Bears will select with 25th overall pick
With the stage set, Yates has the Chicago Bears selecting Missouri defensive end Zion Young with the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here is Yates’ explanation for adding the 6-foot-5, 262-pound edge rusher to the Bears’ defense.
“Pass rush is an obvious need after the Bears posted the NFL's second-worst pass rush win rate in 2025. Young would help improve the unit in a hurry with his power and heavy hands off the edge. He also brings versatility, having played some at defensive tackle during his first two collegiate seasons at Michigan State. Young's upper-body power and 33.5-inch arms allow him to power through the anchor of opposing tackles. That was on full display during a rock-solid Senior Bowl week. I could see him pairing with Montez Sweat really well.”
Yates isn’t the first person to mock Young to the Bears, and he won’t be the last.
The Missouri edge rusher fits the prototypical size that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen likes to deploy on the edge in his defense. Young is coming off a productive senior season in which he set career highs in total pressures (52), sacks (eight), forced fumbles (two), and tackles (21).
This draft pick would make a lot of sense for Chicago, especially since Allen’s unit struggled to create consistent pressure on the quarterback. Look at the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks. That’s a team that creates a lot of pressure from several different players.
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General manager Ryan Poles should make his focus on adding more quality players to the defensive line, and Young would easily fit one of the missing pieces on the defense.