The 2026 NFL Draft opens Thursday in Pittsburgh, and the Chicago Bears hold the 25th pick in the first round.
It’s the second draft of the Ben Johnson era, and after last year’s class delivered immediate contributors in Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, and Kyle Monangai, the bar has been set. Chicago’s contention window is open. The question now is how fast they can widen it, and how long they can keep it open.
This is the fourth and final mock of the 2026 cycle for Bleacher Nation. For this edition, I used the new BN Mock Draft Simulator and ran it with trades active — you’ll see Chicago move around the board throughout, acquiring picks and maneuvering to address specific needs.
The urgency behind getting these picks right is real. Contract extensions for Caleb Williams and Darnell Wright are on the horizon, with more to follow as Chicago’s core matures. That kind of financial compression is coming for every contender, and the Bears are no different. The way to stay balanced, to keep the offense loaded, the defense functional, and the cap from becoming a ceiling, is to find starters on rookie-scale deals.
That’s what good teams do. That’s what this weekend is for.
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