Latest 3-round Bears mock draft has Ryan Poles take massive risk with first pick

The 2026 NFL Draft is only a little over a month away, so mock drafts are going to start looking more and more like what the real deal is going to look like. This draft is especially important for the Chicago Bears

Bears general manager Ryan Poles did some solid work in the first week of free agency, but not enough was done to get the fan base believing this is a Super Bowl-caliber team. That will leave the draft as the make-or-break part of the 2026 season for the Bears, making sure they knock it out of the park. FanSided's Cody Williams shared his three-round mock draft with Chicago taking a big risk with the 25th overall pick by selecting injured Florida defensive tackle, Caleb Banks.

"Just when I was pushing Caleb Banks firmly into the top 20 after his wowing performance at the NFL Combine, we find out he suffered an injury in that workout and will now be sidelined until mid-summer. That's concerning coming off a year in which he played just three games. But the Bears aren't complaining as they get to draft a potential game-wrecking interior force that they need in the trenches. I've enjoyed Chicago's offseason thus far, but there's still work to be done that Banks can be a massive part of."

Bears' mock draft could be a risky one for them

Banks has proven to be one of the top run stoppers in the NFL Draft, but he only played three games last season with the Gators, and now has a broken foot from the NFL Combine that will keep him out until about June. If the injuries had never happened, he would be a top 10 pick, but now durability concerns make him a risk, one that the Bears need to make after last season's disappointment with Grady Jarrett and the rest of the defensive line.

Here is a look at how Williams set up the rest of his three-round mock draft for the Bears:

Round 2, Pick 57: Connor Lew, C, Auburn
Round 2, Pick 60 (via Buffalo Bills): Genesis Smith, S, Arizona
Round 3, Pick 89: Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC

Lew would be a great choice to be the future starting center as the Bears can let newly acquired Garrett Bradbury start in 2026, and Lew could take over in 2027. Smith can start alongside Coby Bryant at the safety positions and take the same career path that Jaquan Brisker just took with Chicago. Lucas would be looked at as a developmental edge rusher, but one that could pay off working with Montez Sweat and Austin Booker.

If the Bears got this haul in the first three rounds, there won't be many complaints from the fan base.