The 2025 regular season is right around the corner, meaning that months of waiting for the return of Bears football are about to come to an end.
It remains to be seen exactly how the year will play out, but training camp and the preseason have provided some insights into which positions may be weaknesses for the Bears this season. Now that college football is also underway, now seems like as good of a time as any for an early 2026 mock draft.
I’ll be using NFL Mock Draft Database’s simulator to make
the selections around Chicago’s own picks. I’m also biased towards Pro Football & Sports Network’s simulator, seeing as though they’re gracious enough to pay me for articles. That said, I like to mix things up a little bit, and the consensus big board provides the most accurate sense on where the draft community as a whole ranks certain prospects.
Without further ado, here is my latest seven-round 2026 Bears mock draft.
Round 1: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)
The mock simulator has the Bears picking in the No. 17 overall slot in the first round. Those of you pushing for Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love here will be disappointed, as he doesn’t fall to Chicago’s selection. Instead, I’ll look to address the pass rush, which is my biggest concern on their roster going into the new year.
Currently my second-ranked edge rusher on my board, Rueben Bain Jr. could end up going higher than this in real life. He’s a powerful edge rusher with a low center of gravity, allowing him to set the edge well in the run game and win with power as a pass rusher. He has a diverse arsenal of moves to shed blocks with, and he has good short-area quickness for someone listed at 275 pounds. Bain stands out as an edge rusher that fits Dennis Allen’s mold well and could be a good starter in the league for quite some time.
Round 2: Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State
D’Andre Swift enters 2025 as the Bears’ undisputed starting running back, even coming off of a disappointing 2024 season. A new offense and an improved offensive line is enough reason to believe he improves this year, but if he doesn’t bounce back in a manner that’s reflective of his salary, Chicago might cut ties and look for another starting running back.
My top-ranked senior running back and third-best running back on my board overall, Nicholas Singleton is a talented back who brings size and speed to the table in abundance. He’s a thick runner at 6’0” and 224 pounds, and he hits the hole hard in between the tackles. His combination of straight-line speed and power makes him difficult to bring down at the point of contact. An experienced zone runner from his time at Penn State, Singleton would be a good fit in Ben Johnson’s offense.
Round 3: Keon Sabb, S, Alabama
Of the Bears’ four contracted safeties on their 53-man roster, none of them are under contract beyond the 2025 season. Though they’ll surely retain some of those players, it’s realistic to think they make some additions at that position next offseason.
Keon Sabb is one of the most pro-ready safeties I’ve scouted so far in the 2026 NFL Draft class. What he lacks in elite range in coverage, he more than makes up for by his decisiveness acting upon his diagnoses in coverage, his ball-tracking skills, and his physicality as a tackler. Alabama lined him up deep, in the slot, and in the box, and his ability to thrive in all alignments speaks to his football IQ. I see him more as a Jaquan Brisker type than a Kevin Byard type, though I suppose which archetype of safety they’d target in the draft depends more on which of the two they’d re-sign.
Round 4 (via Rams): Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa
For the time being, I’m going with the assumption that the Bears have their eventual long-term left tackle currently on their roster. I’m trending towards it being Ozzy Trapilo, even though he’s taken more reps at right tackle recently. Even if he’s the guy, assuming that Braxton Jones leaves in free agency, they could always use more offensive line depth.
By the end of 2025, Gennings Dunker will be a three-year starter at Iowa. He’s the second-highest grading returning tackle in the Power 4 with a 90.2 PFF grade and is an experienced zone-run blocker. A powerful down blocker, he packs a nice punch at the point of attack and combines that with good short-area explosiveness. He plays with proper hand activity and a nasty demeanor, allowing him to drive defenders off the ball. He falls to Round 4 due to inconsistent pad level and a lack of lower-half flexibility, but Dunker is a nasty tackle who’s a lot of fun to watch.
I’m also going to include two tweet embeds here on Dunker to show you how cool of a dude he is. He’s a two-time champion of the Solon Beef Days hay bale tossing contest in Solon, Iowa.
And this is what he eats before, during, and after a game:
Round 5: Maurice Westmoreland, EDGE, Tulane
While the Bears’ lack of high-end pass rushing talent is a concern for me, I also think the depth could improve in their group of edge rushers. Daniel Hardy is more of a special teamer than a consistent rotational defender, and Dominique Robinson hasn’t shown enough improvement to warrant an extension next offseason in my eyes. Doubling down at defensive end might not be a bad idea.
Maurice Westmoreland combined for 15.5 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss in his 2023 and 2024 seasons at UTEP, and he heads to Tulane this year as one of the most accomplished pass rushers in the FBS. He’s a stout edge rusher with great spatial awareness setting the edge in the run game, and he lands his hand moves with precise timing and placement to shed blocks and prevent tackles from getting inside his frame. He doesn’t have elite bend and is a little shorter for an edge rusher at 6’2”, but Westmoreland has the makings of a good rotational EDGE down the stretch.
Round 6: Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh
The Bears might honestly take a linebacker earlier than this, especially if they choose to release Tremaine Edmunds next offseason (saving $15 million in the process). In the end, they wait until Day 3 to bring in another player to compete for playing time.
I think Kyle Louis has clear limitations that hurt his draft stock. He’s an undersized linebacker at 6’0” and 225 pounds, and his lack of ideal length and size means it’s tougher for him to deconstruct blocks as a downhill defender. But I love what he brings to the table as a processor and as an athlete. The 2024 All-American had 101 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and four interceptions last year. He plays with a high motor in pursuit, which maximizes his long speed and agility. He has a playmaking mentality in coverage across the middle of the field, and his range as a backside defender is intriguing. At the very least, I think Louis can be a demon on special teams.
Round 7: Kam Shanks, WR, Arkansas
Admittedly, I don’t expect Kam Shanks to declare for the 2026 draft. However, after an All-American year as UAB’s punt returner, I think a strong pass-catching season with Arkansas could be enough to propel him up draft boards.
Shanks is an undersized slot receiver at 5’8” and 170 pounds, but he might just be the most electric receiver in college football right now. He led the FBS with 329 punt return yards and two returns for touchdowns in 2024, also leading the AAC with 20.6 yards per punt return. He’s an explosive athlete who’s quick out of his breaks as a route runner, and that agility also helps him make tacklers miss after the catch. His full-field vision is impressive, and he’s shown some flashes adjusting his route tempo against zone and using his stems to exploit leverage points against man. His size and average hands work against him, but Shanks is lightning in a bottle and deserves NFL consideration.
