Chicago Bears 2026 NFL Draft guide: Biggest needs, rumored targets and options

Name: Why Kayden McDonald is the right pick for the Bears | Chicago Sports Tonight
Uploaded: 2026-04-18T17:10:15-05:00
Description: The Athletic's Ted Nguyen previews the NFL Draft next week. How deep is this draft class? Also, Ted explains why he thinks Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald should be the Bears pick at #25, but does he also believe a trade up scenario is in the cards for Ryan Poles?

Why Kayden McDonald is the right pick for the Bears | Chicago Sports Tonight

The Athletic's Ted Nguyen previews the NFL Draft next week. How deep is this draft class? Also, Ted explains why he thinks Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald should be the Bears pick at #25, but does he also believe a trade up scenario is in the cards for Ryan Poles?

It's officially draft week for the Chicago Bears.

The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night and ends on Saturday.

Here are the Bears' biggest needs, prospect names to know and draft-day options for the team as the draft inches closer.

Chicago Bears biggest needs

Here are the three positions the Bears have the biggest needs in going into the 2026 NFL Draft:

EDGE Rusher

The Bears need to add a rusher that can take attention away from Montez Sweat and the interior of the defensive line.

Austin Booker took a step forward last year, and Dayo Odeyingbo will be back from his Achilles surgery, but they still need a pass rusher who can help close out games or impact passing games in an NFC North that has three offensive-minded coaches.

This is a draft that's deep in EDGE rushers. The Bears can find one in any round, but the higher the round the better.

Names to know:

TJ Parker, Zion Young, Dani Dennis-Sutton, R Mason Thomas, Keldric Faulk, Cashius Howell.

Safety

The Bears signed Coby Bryant, but Jaquan Brisker's departure means the Bears need a safety that can play in the box, defend well in the run game, cover well in the passing game and possesses skills to make plays at the line of scrimmage.

They can find one of those players in the first three rounds.

Names to know:

Dillon Thieneman, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Jalon Kilgore, Kyle Louis, Zakee Wheatley.

Offensive Line

There are multiple needs here for the Bears.

First is a left tackle. The Bears can enter 2026 season with Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet and Jedrick Wills competing for the left tackle spot. But, if Poles decides he wants to lock down that position while Ozzy Trapilo recovers, he'll have the chance.

Second is a long-term center. Garrett Bradbury is under contract for one year in Chicago. Drafting a rookie center who can eventually take over is most likely the case. The third or fourth round is the sweet spot for a center, but don't be surprised if the Bears take their guy in the second round if he's there.

Names to know:

Max Iheanachor, Blake Miller, Caleb Tiernan, Jake Slaughter, Connor Lew, Sam Hecht, Logan Jones

Interior Defensive Line

The Bears signed Neville Gallimore in free agency to pair with Gervon Dexter Sr. and Grady Jarrett, but the defense still needs a run-stuffing tackle with Andrew Billings departed in free agency.

Names to know:

Peter Woods, Kayden McDonald, Christen Miller, Lee Hunter

What are the Chicago Bears' options?

Trade up from No. 25

This is the ultimate wild card.

Poles has traded to get his guy before. He's never done it in the first round, which would be a first.

This depends on the board. Who's available and where, and if the Bears are willing to part with draft picks for a player they think can be an immediate contributor as a rookie to a team that made the playoffs last season.

Trade down from No. 25

Poles was a fiend back when he first took the Bears general manager job. He traded down consistently in the 2022 NFL Draft, and again in 2023 when he traded back from the first overall pick to No. 9 and again to No. 10 where he selected Darnell Wright.

However, the Bears did that because they wanted to take as many swings as they could in the draft to land players that could make up a winning core. They really don't need to do that anymore.

Stand pat and pick at No. 25

This seems to be the most likely case.

The Bears have three picks in the top 60 selections of the 2026 NFL Draft. As a playoff team last year, they won't be picking in the top 10 for the first time since 2021 but Poles has a core of players that can win him games.

Taking the player that adds to that core at No. 25 is the most likely case.