The Chicago Bears boast the most athletic draft class in the 2026 NFL Draft, and by a wide margin. However, the group is light in terms of production, and they avoided what seemed to be their greatest roster need.
Naturally, there are plenty of questions about the haul that focus on those polarizing facts.
At the same time, the Bears have been in this position before, and there remains time to address the elephant in the room, if need be.
Bears Get Polarizing Feedback on 2026 Draft Class
2026 Draft Class Leaves Bears Facing Questions
The Bears selected seven players in the 2026 draft, four of whom were on defense, making multiple trades in the process.
None were defensive ends for a team that ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in sacks.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson both spoke about not finding the proper value at EDGE and not wanting to reach for a need. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. argued they reached for wide receiver Zavion Thomas in Round 3, calling out the lack of an EDGE.
“Potentially most important in all of this is Chicago not looking at edge rusher or defensive tackle until Jordan van den Berg at No. 213,” Kiper wrote on April 26. “Chicago needed someone opposite [Montez] Sweat and didn’t get it, and while I heard some Day 3 sleeper love for van den Berg, he’s a depth guy.”
The Bears expressed faith in the likes of recent draft picks Austin Booker and Shemar Turner, as well as 2025 free agent signing Dayo Odeyingbo.
However, Odeyingbo struggled to generate a pass rush when healthy last season, though.
Moreover, he and Turner are recovering from significant leg injuries and ended the 2025 season on injured reserve. Turner was also drafted as a defensive tackle, though he did play on the edge in college.
Bears Get Benefit of the Doubt
The Bears were in a very similar spot last season, when questions about their decision to select Colston Loveland 10th overall and ahead of Tyler Warren were just some that Poles and Co. faced.
They got tremendous production from that group, even when counting Turner among unknowns like Ruben Hyppolite and, even more, Zah Frazier.
ESPN’s Matt Miller suspects this group can take the Bears to the next level.
“The 2026 class will be the one that puts the Bears over the top and into a Super Bowl,” Miller wrote on April 28. “Quarterback Caleb Williams is the main reason for the Bears’ success, but adding safety Dillon Thieneman and cornerback Malik Muhammad satisfies huge needs in the secondary, while center Logan Jones will be Williams’ new best friend and bodyguard.”
Time will tell which side of the argument will be proven correct, but the Bears clearly believe it will be closer to the latter.
Leave a Reply