Most 2026 NFL mock drafts have the Chicago Bears taking an edge rusher, and it's the single position that has gotten the attention of the fan base so far.
As the team is "checking in" on Maxx Crosby and missed out on Trey Hendrickson, the Bears have done nothing to improve the edge rusher position, which did little last season aside from Montez Sweat's 10 sacks. On an appearance of the Hoge & Jahns show, Bears general manager Ryan Poles made his stance clear on what their draft strategy is going to be, no matter what.
“You look at the draft, when I’ve been here, we’ve taken the right mentality and taken the best available. That’s been very offensive-centric, and I think that’s paid off for us. We got an All-Pro tackle (Darnell Wright), and Colston’s (Loveland) going to be an All-Pro tight end. So, we’ve done some really good things there. It just hasn’t lined up to be defensive line…..I think the biggest mistake you can make is forcing something just because that’s what you need.”
Bears GM Ryan Poles says the team will stay disciplined with their “best player available” draft philosophy even if that means drafting offense over defense:
— Bearsszn (@bearszn) April 1, 2026
“You look at the draft, when I’ve been here, we’ve taken the right mentality and taken the best available. That’s been… pic.twitter.com/X8azO4uNxO
Ryan Poles is going to stick with "best player available" draft strategy
Let's be honest, it's hard to argue with the results. Poles has done a good job of taking the best player available, and it has paid off. Even better are the choices he has made on offense over the last few years.
Chicago has been able to stack their offense with great talent like Wright, Loveland, Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Kyle Monangai, and Ozzy Trapilo. Those guys have been instant contributors on the team and are starters on this team.
The good part of this NFL Draft is that if the Bears don't love someone in the first round at edge rusher, they don't need to force it. There is so much talent at that position that they can still find a solid edge rusher on Day 2.
Reports have come out that the Bears are still big believers in edge rusher Austin Booker, who had 4.5 sacks in the last 10 games of the season after replacing Dayo Odeyingbo after his season-ending injury. If they believe in Booker as much as what is being reported, there's a good chance he probably starts with Odeyingbo roped into the rotation, so there wouldn't be a rush on selecting an edge rusher.
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There are a lot of Bears fans who are panicking about the edge rusher position at the moment, but despite the team only having 35 sacks total last year, Poles seems to have a plan, and after what he did last year, he's more than earned the trust of the fan base to keep cooking the way he has.