If you’ve been a Bears fan for long enough, you know the drill by now. The 2027 NFL Draft figures to be another year where they don’t have a first-round pick, having traded their first-rounder this year and in 2028 to the Titans for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
I say this not to disagree with the trade; I’m highly in favor of it, and Simmons was absolutely dominant in his debut when the Bears beat the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks on Monday. But in years past, Chicago has entered
drafts without first-round picks multiple times, thanks in part to trades the team has made for players like Jay Cutler, Khalil Mack, and Justin Fields.
Barring an unforeseen trade for a first-round pick, the Bears won’t make their first pick in 2027 until Day 2, where they currently sit near the bottom of the second round for their first selection of that weekend. That makes projecting prospects to Chicago in mock drafts a little more difficult, as it requires a deeper level of research than the surface level of having to know which top-ten prospect might end up on the team.
Luckily for you guys, I have you covered. Here is my first Bears mock draft after the Jeffery Simmons trade, for which I used the PFN mock draft simulator to generate the picks for the other 31 NFL teams.
Round 2: Zabien Brown, CB, Alabama
Now that the Bears have a superstar at defensive tackle, their biggest need on the roster is arguably at cornerback. It’s likely they see a different group at the position in 2027, too; Jaylon Johnson could be released to free up significant cap space, and Tyrique Stevenson arguably hasn’t shown enough consistency to earn a long-term extension as he approaches impending free agency next offseason. To pair up with Kyler Gordon and Malik Muhammad, Chicago will need to bring in a new cornerback.
An intelligent and scrappy cornerback, Zabien Brown is a quick processor who acts upon his diagnoses in coverage with impressive urgency and ideal physicality at the catch point. He’s a willing and capable tackler who’s sticky in man coverage and understands his assignments well in zone coverage. He doesn’t stand out as elite in an aspect of his game, which drops him to Day 2 for me, but he’s a well-rounded cornerback with a strong game who could be a good starting cornerback for years to come.
Round 3: Mateen Ibirogba, DT, Texas Tech
After trading for Simmons, the Bears definitely have a stronger defensive tackle room than they did going into the regular season. However, Grady Jarrett stands out as a potential cap casualty this coming offseason, and they don’t have a true standout alongside Simmons on the roster currently. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if they use another early-round draft pick on an interior defender.
Mateen Ibirogba was originally an edge rusher at Georgetown who eventually bulked up to play defensive tackle, excelled and transferred to Wake Forest, where he would continue to excel before earning a presumably hefty NIL sum to go to Texas Tech. His previous EDGE experience shows in his pass-rushing chops, as he’s an explosive interior defender with impressive get-off speed and a deep arsenal of push-pulls, cross-chops, and club-swims needed to shed blocks. Though his anchor against the run is average, he has legitimate upside as an interior rusher on passing downs.
Round 5 (via Falcons): Antwan Raymond, RB, Rutgers
As good as the Bears’ offense currently is, I don’t think I could imagine Ben Johnson going one whole draft without securing another skill position player. Roschon Johnson is currently in the last year of his rookie contract, and in the carries we’ve seen him have over the last few weeks with Kyle Monangai injured, he doesn’t seem to have the decisiveness in between the tackles or the explosiveness to warrant another contract. This could make Chicago look for a new third-string running back in 2027.
I see Antwan Raymond developing into a high-end backup or a decent spot starter at running back, which is good value in Round 5. He has a low center of gravity and makes precise movements in the open field, taking sharp angles to open running lanes and making smart cuts to evade defenders. He plays with ideal patience and tempo variance out of the backfield, and he’s also a willing and physical pass protector. Though his breakaway speed isn’t elite and could limit his big-play potential, he has enough short-area quickness and agility to make up for it.
Round 6: Tobi Osunsanmi, EDGE, Indiana
How the Bears approach the defensive end position and what archetype of player they look for could depend on how they address this offseason. Dayo Odeyingbo and Montez Sweat are two potential cap casualties who would free up a ton of cap space, but Odeyingbo looked good before getting hurt, and Sweat is coming off of his best performance of the year in Week 8. If they keep both, they could look to throw a speed rusher into the mix as depth.
As of this writing, Tobi Osunsanmi leads the Big Ten with 10.0 sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss through his first nine games with Indiana. He’s a little smaller than the typical Dennis Allen edge rusher at 6’2” and 250 pounds, and he had a season-ending injury to close out 2025 at Kansas State. But he’s a twitchy edge rusher with good bend at the top of his arc, a high motor in pursuit, and proper hand activity needed to stack and shed blocks at the point of attack.
Round 7: Aidan Banfield, OG, North Carolina
With a seventh-round pick, you’re really only looking for depth options. If you can get a good long-term backup out of this pick, it would be tremendous value. The Bears have drafted at least one offensive lineman every single year that Ryan Poles has been their general manager, and I don’t see that trend stopping in 2027.
Aidan Banfield is only a junior, so there’s no guarantee he declares for this year’s draft. However, the three-sport high school athlete is explosive coming off the line of scrimmage and demonstrates good mobility changing direction against stunts and inside speed rushes along the interior. He demonstrates ideal spatial awareness in pass protection and can execute double-team and chip block assignments well, too. Once he gets to the NFL, he’ll need to get stronger and work on his pad level, but there’s potential for him to be a very good backup in the pros.
