With the 2026 NFL Draft less than two weeks away from kicking off, the focus on the final big piece to the roster puzzle is about to come into full focus. While most fans are used to the Chicago Bears picking in the Top 10, this year will be a departure from the norm as the team is slated to pick at No. 25 in the opening round two Thursdays from now.
Due to the ever-changing college landscape, younger players are opting to stay in school longer, and thus each class continues to get older and has less
talent from early entrants. Unfortunately for many teams, including the Bears, the talent gap from the middle of the first round to the late 50s and early 60s has narrowed. Because of that, the team’s board when they are on the clock at 25 might be cloudier than usual.
With that said, let’s dive into the five best fits for the Bears in the first round and how likely they are to be there when Chicago finds itself on the clock on opening night of the draft.
- S Dillon Thieneman (Oregon)
Sometimes I wonder if I’m taking crazy pills when it comes to the top portion of this draft class. In a typical class, taking a safety in Round 1 would be at the bottom of my priority list. Still, considering all of the questions surrounding the talent after the Top 10, I’ve concluded that Thieneman is the Bears’ “best-case scenario” at No. 25. Not only is the Oregon product an athletic freak, he possesses exactly the type of athleticism and versatility that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen covets in his secondary. At just 21, he’ll be one of the younger options that could be on the board.
While some might take a look at this list and find themselves surprised that I didn’t include Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, I’m simply not convinced he has enough versatility to execute the interchangeable aspect that Allen typically prefers in his safeties.
Chance Of Being There At 25: 30%
- DT Peter Woods (Clemson)
If there’s another prospect that has seen his draft stock drop as much as Woods, I’m not aware of one. Following an impressive 2024 campaign at Clemson, Woods came into the preseason as a projected Top 10 pick. 2025 was met with plenty of inconsistencies on the field and poor testing results at his pro day. This has caused him to drop like a rock, while many are projecting him to slide out of the first round. While I can see how an undersized defensive tackle without elite athletic testing would scare off most teams, I can’t help but feel like he’s still a great fit in the middle of Allen’s defense.
The gamble here is simply banking on the athleticism seen on tape, not on his Pro Day testing results. If the Bears feel comfortable with what they saw on the field and are OK with his shorter arms, this might still be their most “ideal” outcome for filling a need while acquiring a talent many viewed as a Top 10 lock coming into last season.
Chance Of Being There At 25: 80%
- OT Max Iheanachor (Arizona State)
Count me out as someone who believes the Bears should take a left tackle early in the draft. That said, there’s been enough smoke around the possibility that it’s impossible to discount at this juncture of the draft process fully. Iheanachor is an interesting prospect because on tape, there’s a serious lack of polish. He struggled at Senior Bowl practices, and although his measurements were off-the-charts, there’s still quite a bit of risk involved with taking a developmental player like this so early in the draft.
Even so, the proper context needs to be added. He’s an athlete who didn’t start playing football until after high school. The former basketball player knew nothing about the sport but decided to try his hand and, all things considered, has excelled. His freaky athleticism and length should provide enough of a “safe” floor for teams to take a risk on him early in the draft, but it’s worth wondering if he’s refined enough to challenge for a starting role in 2026 seriously. That said, drafting players should rarely be about what they can do in Year 1 only.
Chance Of Being There At 25: 70%
- WR Jordan Tyson (Arizona State)
Am I crazy for having a receiver on this list? Probably. Would the Bears lack a sense of awareness by spending a pick at a position where there’s not a starting-level need? Sure. Just hear me out, though. Tyson is a player who, if he makes it to 25, should at least be considered.
After all, we’re just one year removed from this same team spending their first two picks on players that were considered “luxury picks” in Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III. With an offensive-minded head coach calling the shots, could a player like Tyson truly be considered the “best player available” if he were to fall to 25? I believe so, which is why he’s on this list.
This receiver class is tricky. While there are some fun names, especially at the top, there’s not one player who stands out as being the unquestioned WR1. To a certain extent, this is a “pick your flavor” situation, but for Tyson, it’s much more health-related than anything else.
Again, Tyson would be far from my first choice with the top pick, but if he’s there and the rest of the board isn’t lining up to their needs, they could do a lot worse. Now, you can proceed with your outage.
Chance Of Being There At 25: 30%
- DE T.J. Parker (Clemson)
In my latest mock draft, I had the Bears trading back a few spots and selecting Malachi Lawrence. Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of any of the edge rushers projected to go in Round 1, but if we are looking at positions of need, edge rusher should probably be one of the five options.
Similar to the receiver, many of the potentially available pass rushers at 25 will be a flavor-of-the-day type of situation. Admittedly, I have a hard time “loving” the typical Allen prototype, which leads me away from players like Keldrick Faulk and Zion Young. Faulk might be a big ball of clay with ideal measurements, but nothing in his game at Auburn led me to believe he’s going to be a player worth taking in the Top two (maybe three) rounds. Similar could be said for Young, although, at least for me, there’s more to his game that I like.
Parker is yet another Clemson defender who has seemingly slid down the consensus board the further things have gone along. That said, when watching him, it’s easy to see a path to a successful NFL career that is more than being a good run defender and the occasional eight-to-10 sack season. Another potential name who could be there when the Bears pick is Akeem Mesidor, but the combination of his age and the lack of typical traits Allen prefers leads me to believe he won’t be a fit in this scheme.
Chance Of Being There At 25: 90%
