After an 0-2 start to the 2025 season, things are looking pretty bleak for the Bears right now.
Granted, it’s extremely early in the year. The Bears have plenty of time to turn things around, and they’ve played two talented teams in their first two matchups. However, since the NFL playoffs expanded in 2020, 38 of the 43 teams to start the year 0-2 have missed the playoffs, giving Chicago historically about a 12% chance to make the postseason.
Me being the draft-minded individual I am, I wanted to use
this window of sadness and despair to share some of my findings for the 2026 NFL Draft class.
For the sake of this exercise, I will be using the PFF mock draft simulator to simulate the other teams around me. I like to mix things up in terms of which tools I use for these mock drafts to provide different insights and draft orders this early in the season.
Here’s where PFF has the Bears picking in their mock draft simulator:
- Round 1: No. 9
- Round 2: No. 41
- Round 3: No. 73
- Round 4: No. 126 (via Rams)
- Round 5: No. 148
- Round 6: No. 187
- Round 7: No. 222
- Round 7: No. 248 (projected compensatory pick)
Mock trade 1
Chargers receive: TE Cole Kmet
Bears receive: 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 121 overall)
Cole Kmet is still a productive tight end in the NFL, and he has a respectable 60 receiving yards through his first two games in 2025. But the Bears don’t need him on a pricier contract after selecting Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick. A trade would save Chicago $8.4 million in cap space in the 2026 offseason, and at 26 years old, he should still be a solid starter for a few more years.
The Chargers are a competitive playoff team in need of an upgrade at tight end. They’ve had a solid passing attack this year with Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston as complementary weapons. Kmet would give Los Angeles a reliable tight end who can work himself open underneath as a security blanket for Justin Herbert.
Looking at recent tight end trades, this feels like fair value for both teams. Darren Waller got traded to the Giants for a third-round pick coming off an injured 2022 season with inferior production to Kmet’s typical numbers, even though Waller reached higher heights than Kmet did. A fourth-round pick feels like a good value for Kmet, and the Bears could use that extra money on bigger needs like the offensive or defensive lines, cornerback, or running back.
Round 1: T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
Within the simulation, these are the players who were selected with the eight picks before the Bears:
- Browns: Arch Manning, QB, Texas
- Saints: LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
- Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
- Jets: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
- Titans: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)
- Panthers: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
- Dolphins: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
- Raiders: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
I honestly doubt Arch Manning declares for the 2026 draft, and even if he does, I don’t think he’d be the No. 1 pick at this stage. However, you could very easily substitute Drew Allar from Penn State, Fernando Mendoza from Indiana, or even a potential breakout star like Dante Moore from Oregon into the mix and still get three quarterbacks in the first eight picks.
There were a few players I considered here. Francis Mauigoa from Miami is a natural right tackle but has a very high starting floor in the pros, and Kadyn Proctor has been inconsistent for Alabama at left tackle but features elite physical attributes. In the end, I opted to address the Bears’ need at pass rush with a player I think would be great value at No. 9 overall.
T.J. Parker is a sturdy, lengthy edge rusher at 6’3” and 265 pounds. He’s explosive off the snap and possesses impressive closing speed as a tackler. His hand activity at the line of scrimmage is encouraging, and he has a variety of moves in his arsenal he can use to shed blocks. Rueben Bain has gotten off to the hotter start to the 2025 season, but I’d argue Parker put together better tape in 2024.
Round 2: DJ McKinney, CB, Colorado
As the Bears have found out the hard way, they still need a reliable third cornerback in the mix in their secondary. Tyrique Stevenson is slated for their top outside corner spot with Jaylon Johnson out for the year, and he’s shown that he isn’t a player worth keeping in a starting role in the long run. It’s time for them to move on from that experiment.
DJ McKinney has the tools to be a high-end CB2 at the next level, which would work very well for Chicago with Johnson on the other perimeter spot and Kyler Gordon in the slot. McKinney is a 6’2”, 190-pound cornerback who plays with good competitiveness at the catch point, physicality as a tackler, and maintained active hands in press coverage. For a taller cornerback, he moves quite well with fluid hips and natural change of direction. He attacks the ball well in the air, and combined with his above-average route recognition abilities, he’s a threat to make plays on the ball.
Like Stevenson, I think McKinney has just average deep speed on tape, which prevents him from being a true CB1 type for me. However, he’s a smart, fluid, and physical cornerback who can make plays on the ball, and I feel a lot better about his processing speed in coverage compared to Stevenson. McKinney would be a worthy investment to Chicago’s secondary that got exposed in Week 2 against Detroit.
Round 3: Jude Bowry, LT, Boston College
With Braxton Jones’ slow start to the new year, it feels more unlikely that he receives a massive contract extension to be the long-term starting left tackle of the Bears. Exactly how they choose to address the position next offseason remains to be seen, but I truly believe there’s no such things as too much offensive line depth.
2025 second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo knows this pick quite well, as Jude Bowry was the left tackle at Boston College in Trapilo’s last season with the program. I have a similar pre-draft grade on Bowry as I did on Trapilo coming out, but there’s upside for Bowry to go even higher with a strong 2025 season. He’s an impressive athlete at tackle with quick feet in pass protection and nice acceleration off the snap climbing to the second level. He uses his hands well with well-placed and well-timed strikes, as well.
I’d like to see Bowry work on his flexibility in his lower half, as that can affect his pad level sometimes. As a result, he doesn’t always get the most out of the raw anchor strength he has. With further development with his weight distribution, I think Bowry could be a solid starting tackle in the NFL.
Round 4 (via Chargers, projected trade): Le’Veon Moss, RB, Texas A&M
Running back stands out as a need for the Bears, but a few other positions with more value have jumped out as needs, as well. That means Chicago waits a bit to draft a back, though it’s entirely possible they sign someone in free agency in this instance.
Le’Veon Moss is a tough runner experienced in a zone-prominent run game at Texas A&M. He showcases good ball-carrier vision in between the tackles, adjusting his tempo to find the open running lane and shoot through it. He makes smart cuts in space with the ball in his hands, and he maximizes his 6’0”, 210-pound frame by lowering his shoulder through contact and keeping his legs churning. Moss won’t wow you on passing downs, but he’s a perfectly capable rotational back who would be good value in the fourth round.
Round 4 (via Rams): Michael Taaffe, S, Texas
Like running back, safety stands out as another need for the Bears with both Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker slated to hit free agency after this season. I’m sure they make some investment at the position in free agency, but they’d also likely have to use a draft pick there, as well.
The rise of Michael Taaffe has been extremely fun to watch. A former walk-on at Texas, Taaffe was a key special teamer before breaking into the starting lineup and becoming a second-team All-American in 2024. He has a strong football IQ with great route recognition and a high motor in run support. His coordination stands out moving in coverage on the back end, as does his confidence acting upon his reads. Taaffe won’t wow you in testing, but he’s just a rock-solid football player with a high floor at the next level.
Round 5: Rayshaun Benny, DT, Michigan
The Bears invested in their defensive tackle group this past offseason by signing Grady Jarrett and drafting Shemar Turner. However, Andrew Billings is slated to hit free agency this offseason, so bringing in another rotational defender for their interior might not be a bad idea.
A key rotational defender for Michigan the last few seasons, Rayshaun Benny is a smart defensive tackle with very good spatial awareness as a run defender, which helps him understand when and how to free up his hands to make tackles. He has a deep arsenal of moves he can use to win at the point of attack, and his sturdy anchor allows him to hold up blocks and eat up gaps in run support. A little bit raw as a pass rusher, Benny will need to work on his quickness off the snap and being more compact with his hands but should be a good run stopper in the NFL.
Round 6: Aiden Fisher, LB, Indiana
Given the cap flexibility the Bears would gain by releasing Tremaine Edmunds next offseason, I think it’s a foregone conclusion they let him go in 2026. An off-ball linebacker shouldn’t be the biggest priority, and between Noah Sewell, Amen Ogbongbemiga, and Ruben Hyppolite II, I’m sure they could get passable play at the position for cheap while focusing on more important positions elsewhere. That said, some competition wouldn’t hurt.
Aiden Fisher will be a three-year starter in college by the end of the season, as he excelled at James Madison in 2023 before moving with head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana, where he’s been a key contributor ever since. He’s a high-motored linebacker who fights hard in pursuit to get to the ball, and he’s an athletic defender with good closing speed and fluid movements across the middle of the field in zone coverage. A shorter wingspan and lack of elite physicality holds him back, but I like him as an NFL backup who can play on special teams.
Round 7: Jalen Walthall, WR, Incarnate Word
It wouldn’t be a mock draft without a small school prospect! Jalen Walthall was a former Hawaii recruit who exploded for Incarnate Word in 2024 with 85 catches for 1,290 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s listed at 6’1” and excels at stretching the field vertically, with the speed to take the top off the defense and the agility to make defenders miss underneath. His ball skills and body control help him track down the deep ball and make impressive adjustments, too. Walthall won’t go super early as a small-school receiver with route tree depth concerns, but he’s a perfectly acceptable flier to take late on Day 3.
Round 7 (projected compensatory pick): Hunter Zambrano, OG, Texas Tech
I first watched Hunter Zambrano as a tackle at Illinois State, and he’s since transferred to Texas Tech to become their starting right tackle. However, I think he’s a better fit at guard in the pros. He’s a mobile lineman with quick feet in pass protection who demonstrates good body control moving around in space. He’s an effective down blocker with good coordination on the move, and he brings a nasty element on tape. There’s a chance Zambrano’s power will need to improve in the pros, and his pad level could use some work. But I think he could be a solid backup lineman with tackle-guard versatility to help him make the 53-man roster.
