Every Chicago Bears fan has a pretty good idea of how the first two days of the 2026 NFL Draft are going to go for the team.
Most draft experts have the Bears going heavy on defense in the NFL Draft after losing multiple starters and looking to get younger on that side of the ball, as they have with the offense the last two years. Former Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte shared his thoughts on how the team will approach the draft process.
"Address the defense, first and foremost," Forte said to Bears Wire. "Defensively, I noticed in the playoffs, especially against the LA Rams, the offensive line of the Rams really kind of wore down [the Bears] and was establishing the run in a dominant way that allowed them to essentially win the game at the end. That was something that wasn't necessarily new."
Matt Forte likes the Bears to go after defensive players early in the NFL Draft
Aside from some mock drafts showing the Bears taking offensive tackles, they are most likely looking at a defensive tackle, edge rusher, or safety with the first-round pick. Chicago needs starters at all three positions.
At safety, they have Coby Bryant, but need a second starter to join him. This position could wait until Day 2 if they wanted to. Gervon Dexter is the only reliable tackle on the defensive line, so adding a perfect partner for him and replacing Grady Jarrett in the starting line could be closer to the right choice. Edge rusher is another position with one good starter, Montez Sweat, but they need to add another to help out in the rotation.
Watch for guys like Clemson's Peter Woods and Ohio State's Kayden McDonald to be the top choices if they go defensive tackle. Other names to monitor include Missouri edge rusher Zion Young, Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
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The options are there for the Bears to retool this defense, and if general manager Ryan Poles has shown the fan base anything, it's that he can be trusted to make it happen.