What Will the Chicago Bears do at Number 25 in the NFL Draft?
Free agency is in full swing and the Chicago Bears have been buyers, but they haven’t bought a lot. The draft appears to be the place that the Bears are going to take care of their biggest needs.
What are the Bears’ biggest needs? Some of them are as plain as the nose on our faces. Others might not be so obvious.
Free Agency Was Slow
Anyone who follows the Bears closely realizes that they didn’t make any huge splashes in free agency, at least so far. Honestly, there wasn’t much to get excited about in free agency this season. It was a mediocre class so the Bears, hopefully, chose wisely with the players they got and the players they let walk.
The Bears brass went for speed on defense, grabbing guys like Coby Bryant and Devon Bush. That’s going to help them a lot. But what about the pass rush? Specifically, what about the edge?
No Edge in Sight
With no big-time pass rushers acquired by the Bears during free agency, there were indications that the Bears were interested in Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby. He was traded to the Baltimore Ravens, failed his physical, and then headed back to the Raiders. This means he is available, but do the Bears want to take a risk by signing a guy who couldn’t pass a physical (he couldn’t touch his toes)? They shouldn’t. Given what they will have to give up to get him, it’s not a wise idea.
Trey Hendrickson was available, but not any longer. That’s probably a good thing that the Bears missed out on him. Now, with a mostly bare cupboard, the Bears will need to look towards the 2026 NFL Draft to find someone to pair up with Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo to help get more pressure on the quarterback. Sure, at number 25, you don’t figure a top-of-the-line edge rusher will be available, but you never know what you might find.
The Big Middle
The Bears don’t just need an edge rusher. They also need a great pass-rushing defensive interior lineman who can stop the run, also. Grady Jarrett isn’t getting any younger, and so a real force in the middle would be great.
Any way you slice it, it would be wise for the Bears to spend that first-round pick on a pass-rushing prospect and help solve a problem that plagued them last year. Whether it’s the middle or on the edge, the need is there, and the Bears need to fill it.
The Cupboard isn’t Bare, Barely
The Bears have three pass rushers available on the team still, and it doesn’t look like they are going to be going totally out of talent. Montez Sweat is a solid pass rusher who finally gained some steam last season. Even though Dayo Odeyingbo was injured last year, he did start to pick things up before he got hurt so maybe he will be able to get back to that form in 2026.
After that, you have up-and-coming pass rusher Austin Booker, who will see more playing time next season. If he can ratchet his play up a bit, he could be a star on the line. But more is needed, rushing the passer, whether it be at the edge or in the interior of the line. The cupboard might not be entirely bare, but it could use a few more cups.
Two Draft Possibilities
You hear the draft pundits throw out their predictions for what the Bears are going to do in the 2026 NFL Draft. It’s so hard to predict who will be available at the 25th spot in the first round. The Bears might trade out of that spot and try to pick up additional selections in later rounds, and try to fulfill some of their needs that way. They are unlikely to trade up unless someone really catches their eye. The Bears don’t want to give up a lot of valuable draft picks.
They need all the picks they can get.
Who would the Bears be interested in in the draft, one on the edge and one on the interior? An edge rusher who might be around when the Bears pick at the 25th spot is Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods. Woods, who is six feet two inches tall and weighs 298 pounds, has a lot of upside and could fit the Bears well. It’s likely Woods will be around when the Bears make their pick.
Another possibility is Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. Some think that he’s not a top-of-the-line defensive tackle, and he has much more growth to do. At number 25, the Bears should ideally grab someone who could come in and start right away. With some questions about McDonald, the Bears would need to make sure he is the one they want and that he will grow quickly.
When the Smoke Clears
When the draft is all done and everything has settled, the Bears should have one outcome. They will hope the draft produces just as well, or better, than the 2025 NFL Draft, where they got guys like Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, and Kyle Monongai. The Bears need to do that, but on defense in 2026. If they make that carbon copy and flip it to defense, they could end up having another stellar season.
A top-notch defense, along with a great offense, would make this Bears team dangerous. If things fall the way the Bears hope, they could be playing in the Super Bowl next season after a dominant year on defense.
