Newsflash: the Chicago Bears need help up front.
*Gasps* How dare I say something so controversial? You’re right.
No, but seriously: the Bears will very likely—like, almost 98% likelihood—pick a large, large human to join their team when they’re on the clock for No. 25 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. (Assuming they don’t trade said pick for Maxx Crosby…)
Fortunately, NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks, in short, that the Bears can’t go wrong at the back end of the first round when it
comes to improving their talent up front. And yes, that includes potentially looking at offense, not just defense. (Because in case you forgot, this team has a gaping hole at left tackle now.)
As he re-iterated in his annual pre-NFL Combine media conference, Jeremiah is ultimately a fan of “best player available,” especially at the end of the first round. But if you’re looking for trench players, either offensive or defensive?
“They’re in a great spot for those two positions. Tackles, I think you see one of those guys is going to be there. You’ve got a group of them there from Blake Miller (from Clemson), Monroe Freeling (Georgia), [Kadyn] Proctor from Alabama, [Caleb] Lomu from Utah. would say even Max Iheanachor is in that range now, out of Arizona State… Out of that clump, I can’t envision all of them are gone. So you’re going to get one of those guys who would be able to plug and play, in my opinion.”
It’s notable, if you ask me, that Jeremiah started off with offensive tackles here. It’s not a guarantee that the Bears will get the one they want, of course. But if we’re being completely honest here, tackle is the spot that might need to be addressed earlier in the draft than either of the others.
Because, as Jeremiah mentioned, Rounds 2-4 will likely be filled with big, run-stopping defensive tackles if the Bears opt not to take one at No. 25. Plus, it’s likely they’ll have their eye on at least one big-name player at the edge spot, though remains to be seen if they sign one.
If the Bears specifically want to go with an edge player, though, Jeremiah listed a few that might fall into range at No. 25 in case they miss out on players like T.J. Parker or Zion Young due to Combine inflation.
“I’ll be fascinated to see what happens with [Ahkeem] Mesidor…a little bit older, but a great player,” he said. “Cassius Howell, he’s going to be interesting case study because he’s got all this production, [but] he’s just over 6-2, 254 pounds. He’s going to have really, really short arms. People can say it’s no big deal…teams care about it. So that’ll be interesting. And then I think he might run in the low 4.5s, potentially even faster than that. He’s a freak in terms of how explosive he is. But he’s going to be kind of in that range.
Then, know, Keldrick Falk is someone I think teams are all over the map on. He’s got this ideal frame. He’s young. He’s almost 6-6, 274 pounds, plays inside, plays outside, know, real smooth mover. He’s great against the run, just doesn’t have an elite, elite get-off and urgency as a rusher and doesn’t have a ton of production. … Even T.J. Parker from Clemson, R. Mason Thomas from Oklahoma. Zion Young. you’re gonna start seeing a lot of those guys get talked about in that portion of the draft.”
For what the Bears need and a 4-3 front like Dennis Allen values, it’s hard to see a pure pass-rusher, especially one that might be undersized for the position, ending up being the pick at No. 25, which narrows the options as far as edge guys go.
But Jeremiah insisted Bears fans shouldn’t be too worried about Chicago finding a good player.
“They’re in good spot,” he added. “There’s some years where you’re picking and you’re like, crap, we better move one way or another. I think they can just sit right where they are and see how it falls.”
Indeed, we shall. Starting with the NFL Combine next week, which could see several players begin their rise or fall into or out of the Bears’ range. Hold onto your hats—but look forward with hope.
