The 2026 NFL Draft is finally here, and the Chicago Bears will soon welcome a new group of rookies to the roster as second-year head coach Ben Johnson looks to lead his team back to the postseason.
General manager Ryan Poles will be looking to add some impact players to the roster. Chicago has seven selections in this draft, including four inside the Top 90. That starts with the 25th overall pick and continues with three Day 2 selections (Nos. 57, 60 and 89). And there’s always the possibility of a trade back (or trade up) scenario.
After an offseason where they lost some key veterans but welcomed some new faces, the Bears have some big holes to fill on the roster. They need to upgrade the pass rush — interior and/or edge — add to the safety room, find long-term answers at left tackle and center and shore up other positions, including cornerback and wide receiver.
Still, there are some scenarios that we’d like to see play out for Chicago this weekend. So we’re imagining what a perfect draft would look like for the Bears.
A left tackle falls to the Bears
For the second straight year, Chicago will have a competition at left tackle, which will feature a couple of familiar faces in Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet, as well as newcomer Jedrick Wills Jr. This after Ozzy Trapilo, who appeared to have solidified the left tackle spot, suffered a ruptured patellar tendon that put his 2026 season and future in question. The Bears are reportedly eyeing a left tackle with their first-round selection. But there’s expected to be a run on offensive tackle in the middle part of the first round, which might not bode well for the Chicago’s hopes of landing a potential upgrade at left tackle at No. 25. In a perfect world, the Bears manage to land one.
Find a starting safety
Arguably the biggest roster need is safety following the departures of starters Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, as well as reserve Jonathan Owens, in free agency. After signing Super Bowl champion Coby Bryant and Cam Lewis in free agency, and bringing back Elijah Hicks, Chicago only has three roster-worthy safeties. Not only do they need a starter, they need depth. Still, after electing not to bring back Byard or Brisker, the Bears need to find their next starting safety in this draft. While Dillon Thieneman or Emmanuel McNeil-Warren would be nice gets in the first round, Chicago can find a starter on Day 2 potentially in guys like AJ Haulcy or Treydan Stukes.
Add a disruptive pass rusher
Chicago needs to address the pass rush in this draft, be it with a disruptive interior defender or an edge rusher who can complement Montez Sweat. The Bears had just 35 sacks last season, which was among the worst in the NFL, and this hasn’t been a one-year issue. For the last several years, Chicago has struggled to pressure the quarterback, which has hindered the defense. If the Bears can come away with at least one disruptive pass rusher in this draft, it would be a success. There should be options at No. 25, whether it’s Keldric Faulk, Akheem Mesidor, T.J. Parker or Zion Young. But this is also a deep edfe rusher group, so Chicago could find someone on Day 2. It will be interesting to see if the Bears value any of these defensive tackles, led by Kayden McDonald and Peter Woods, as worthy of a first-round selection.
Find your center of the future
Following the 2025 season, the Bears finally appeared to have answered their center question with Drew Dalman, who had a Pro Bowl year and helped Caleb Williams progress in Ben Johnson’s offense. But following Dalman’s shocking retirement age 27, Chicago is back where they started. Only this time, they acquired veteran Garrett Bradbury in a trade with the New England Patriots, giving the Bears an immediate solution. But they still need to find their center of the future, which is the hope of this draft. Chicago has spent a lot of time on Kansas State’s Sam Hecht, and he’s certainly a contender for the Bears on Day 2. Hecht, or another young center brought in, would get a chance to learn and develop behind Bradbury for a year before seeing the field as a starter in Year 2.
Hit on the third-round pick
It’s no secret that GM Ryan Poles hasn’t had much luck when it comes to third-round selections in the NFL draft, with wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. and defensive tackle Zacch Pickens flaming out and offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie not far behind. Chicago traded their third-rounder as part of a trade package with the Buffalo Bills last year, so we didn’t get to see if Ben Johnson could help Poles finally hit on a prospect in the third round. But, for now, the Bears have a third-round selection (No. 89), which could very well be used to add their center of the future. If that’s the case, let’s hope Poles finally finds some success in the round that has historically snakebitten him.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears’ perfect 2026 NFL Draft would look like this