Most Chicago Bears fans are expecting a defense-heavy haul in the 2026 NFL Draft, as they should because, well, the defense isn’t very good.
As such, no one should be surprised to see ESPN’s three-round mock draft featuring Mel Kiper, Field Yates, and others go hard on that side of the ball for Chicago.
The first three picks in this latest offering–Peter Woods (No. 25), Dani Dennis-Sutton (No. 57), and Kyle Louis (No. 60)–all have found their way into expert mocks before now, and it wouldn’t be shocking
to hear any one of their names called when the Bears are on the clock.
But the third-round pick from this particular mock is the most interesting to me.
With the 89th overall pick, Kiper suggests the Bears could take enough of a liking to Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams that they bring him to the Windy City.
“The Bears traded DJ Moore, so adding another pass catcher on Day 2 makes sense,” said Kiper of Williams, who notched 15 receiving touchdowns the last two seasons.
Now that’s interesting.
On one hand, the Bears are pretty set atop the receiving depth chart at the moment despite the Moore trade, with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and new addition Kalif Raymond in the fold. That also doesn’t include Jahdae Walker, who had an impactful finish to the 2025 season, and tight end Colston Loveland, who was essentially WR1 for the Bears by the time the year ended.
On the other: Chicago looked plenty well stocked at receiver last year, too, with Odunze, Moore, and veteran Olamide Zaccheaus in the mix before Loveland was taken with the No. 10 overall pick. And it didn’t stop the Bears from nabbing Burden early in the second round. So who’s to say Chicago wouldn’t consider a similar approach this year?
If we know one thing about head coach Ben Johnson, it’s that he’s always looking for dynamic playmakers to give his offense juice, regardless of who’s already on the depth chart. From that standpoint, Williams, who boasts 4.41 speed and strong ball skills down the field in addition to excellent YAC ability, would intrigue the Bears. And that’s not all: he can return punts and completed four passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns in college, which a trick-play merchant like Johnson is bound to love.
The overall point, though, is that, while the defense is in dire need of upgrades at multiple positions, you can’t get so locked into one side of the ball or one position that it makes you pass up good football players who can help you. Look no further than Burden. The Bears saw an opportunity to grab a highly dynamic player who was good enough for the team to feel comfortable trading away DJ Moore, whose contract could’ve become troublesome for Chicago if they had kept him.
Sometimes, looking ahead to the future pays off in the present, too, and one could imagine Johnson using Williams in a similar way to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has become one of the NFL’s best receivers.
Okay, maybe that’s wishful thinking. But we can dream, right?
Sure, Bears fans might feel better with a safety or another defensive lineman in the third round. But if Williams were on the board at No. 89, it’d be hard to blame Chicago for taking him.
