What position is the most pressing need for the Chicago Bears this year? Well, a lot can change between now and April, when the 2027 NFL Draft arrives, so we're going position group by position group, and eventually covering them all.
We started out at edge rusher, then did cornerback. We also looked at running back depth, and then maybe, in the later rounds, a backup quarterback
. We also covered safety, offensive tackle and offensive guard.Today, we cover the wide receiver position. It's far from Chicago's top need, as their receiver room is stacked.
Question: what did Pope Leo X (who reigned from 1513-1521) have that Bears coach Ben Johnson has?
Answer: a Luther Burden!
Thanks, I'll be here all week! And remember, the 11 o'clock show is totally
different from the 7 o'clock show. But seriously folks, Burden (a second round pick last year, who went 39th overall out of Mizzou) is developing into one of the league's best WR1.
Rome Odunze (the 9th overall pick in 2024) is not far behind him as an elite WR2. Kalif Raymond is an excellent contributor as a WR3 as well. However, if Chicago wishes to add depth in the later rounds, here is a trio of day three prospects that could be a good fit for the Bears.
Collin Dixon, Illinois
While he was on no one's radar at the start of the season, he's absolutely broken out in 2026. Dixon is on his way to rewriting much of the Illinois single season receiving record book, and he's doing it despite opposing defensive coordinators intensely focusing in on him on every week. Illinois has some quality and depth in the receiver room, but no one else who needs to be accounted for like Dixon does.
Dixon has drawn a lot of comparisons to former Illini Pat Bryant, which makes sense given the similar measurables and playing styles. Bryant, who was selected in the third round by the Denver Broncos in 2025, has been a solid contributor when healthy in the Mile High City.
Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma
He certainly has track star speed, and that makes perfect sense, given who his parents are. Dahlia, his mother, was a part of the Jamaican 4 x 100 relay team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Mario, his father, was an All-American decathlete at a different SEC school, LSU. With parents like these, obviously Sategna can fly, and he utilizes that speed in the return game. As a contributor in two phases, he'll likely first find his place in the NFL via the return game, then excel as a home run threat kind of receiver.
Amare Thomas, Houston
Thomas is a sure-handed receiver to be sure, but he doesn't run right past you. While he's not a burner, and won't often beat you vertically, he's extremely effective in the slot.
His hands, and his tremendous ability in the underneath routes, keeps the chains moving. He's a third down go-to guy, in the Wes Welker kind of mode, and that quality has him higher on a lot of draft boards than some more speedy or talented receiver.
Thomas could go as high as the fifth round, come April.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Three receiver prospects who could fit in well with the Chicago Bears
