en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Chicago Bears News https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/news #NFL #ChicagoBears #BearsLIVE COVERAGE - ROUND 1 OF THE 2026 NFL DRAFT - Chicago Bears Style!!!Sign up for PrizePicks with code HMA and get $50 in lineups in... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:56:08 GMT Swift Sports Network https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56369077 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56369077 false false After what Ben Johnson accomplished in just one season as Bears head coach, it's no wonder GM Ryan Poles trusts him in helping build the roster. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:52:38 GMT Alyssa Barbieri https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56369045 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56369045 false false Here's a look at three players the Chicago Bears could come away with in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft based on recent intel. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:37:30 GMT Mike Moraitis https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368857 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368857 false false The Chicago Bears will have their options, but with the 25th pick, one mock draft makes it clear what fans should buy or sell as the pick. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:26:21 GMT Anthony Miller https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368715 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368715 false false Indiana is ready and willing to build a stadium for the Bears. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:58:48 GMT Mike Florio https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368374 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368374 false false Predictions are all over the map for what the Bears are going to do in the draft tonight. They're in uncharted waters at pick 25 (the latest they've selected in Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:57:18 GMT Jerry Markarian https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368360 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368360 false false #chicagobears #nfldraft Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:56:42 GMT 104.3 The Score https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368355 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368355 false false On the Mully & Haugh Show, Audacy NFL insider Ross Tucker previewed the NFL Draft and shared insight on which prospects fit the Bears. He also expressed his ... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:56:31 GMT 104.3 The Score https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368354 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368354 false false The Chicago Bears have spent the better part of the last few seasons playing catch-up. Cap space, roster holes, and the financial flexibility to address both defined that phase of the build, and General Manager Ryan Poles used it accordingly, stabilizing the roster and constructing a functional environment to develop quarterback Caleb Williams. That phase is over. Or at least, it should be. What this offseason has made clear is that the approach has shifted. Poles is no longer building from the ground up. He’s managing a roster with a core in place, and the goal now is to sustain it. In the NFL, that distinction almost always comes down to one thing: how well you draft. The Bears took a meaningful step in that direction last April. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo, and Kyle Monangai all contributed as rookies, and the class has the look of one that will produce multiple long-term contributors. © Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The challenge now is doing it again. And again after that. Because the financial reality of what’s coming (extensions for Darnell Wright, Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, and eventually Burden and Loveland) means the margin for error in free agency is only going to shrink. Starters on rookie-scale deals aren’t a luxury at that point. They’re a necessity. That’s the backdrop for everything that follows. Below, you’ll find my final mock draft of the 2026 cycle, a second exercise we ran live on the BN Bears Podcast this week with Matt and Luis, some thoughts on Ben Johnson’s role in the draft room, and a conversation about whether the Bears should be looking to move up tonight rather than back. The draft opens in Pittsburgh tonight, and Chicago is on the clock at No. 25. A final mock draft (and some thoughts on it) … My final mock of the cycle is the 4.0, which I ran through the new BN Mock Draft Simulator with trades active. You can find individual pick breakdowns , but here’s how the board fell, and why I’m reasonably comfortable with how it shook out, even if it didn’t go exactly where you might expect. The trade logic was straightforward. Chicago came into this draft with two second-rounders, their own at 60, and 57 acquired from the Bills in the DJ Moore deal this spring. I moved 57 to Miami for picks 75 and 87 in the third round, turning one second into two thirds. Later, I flipped the fourth-rounder acquired from the Rams to Tennessee for a pair of fifth-rounders at 142 and 144. Both moves follow the same premise: volume over position, as long as you’re not giving up real equity to get there. After taking McNeil-Warren at 25 (a no-brainer if he’s on the board), the simulator pushed me away from defense and toward offensive line and skill positions. Caleb Tiernan at 60, Antonio Williams at 75, and Sam Hecht at 87. It colored a little outside the lines relative to what Bears fans probably want to see. But best player available is how I believe Chicago will operate this weekend, and the board dictated those picks. Gracen Halton at 89 got me the defensive interior presence I wanted, and he’s a genuine scheme fit for Dennis Allen. Edge rusher ended up in the seventh round with Quintayvious Hutchins, which I understand is going to raise eyebrows. Here’s the honest answer on that: Dayo Odeyingbo is still on the roster with money attached, and Austin Booker’s 2025 return from injury was encouraging enough that the building believes in him. That doesn’t mean more edge help wouldn’t be welcome; it just means it didn’t happen in this simulation, and I don’t think that makes this a bad class. Nine picks, multiple starters in the conversation, and two trades that added picks without costing the Bears anything they couldn’t afford to move. One final thought exercise with the BN Bears crew … On Wednesday’s episode of the , Matt, Luis, and I ran a live seven-round simulation through the BN Mock Draft Simulator, and it produced a class worth walking through. We caught a break at No. 25 again. Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy was on the board, consensus had him going well before that range, and it was an easy call. Corner was a need anyway. From there, the board pushed us . He was the best player available when we were on the clock, and that was that. Moving our original second-rounder to Pittsburgh for picks No. 76 and No. 99 made sense as. So, we traded down from 60 to generate volume, and came away with Halton and fellow Sooner Deion Burks in the third. We landed Florida center Jake Slaughter at 105, acquired via a trade-back with the Giants from 89, which also netted us the fifth-round pick used on Oregon tackle Isaiah World at 145. Slaughter could be the center of the future. World is loaded with unteachables, and the things that need cleaning up feel like exactly the kind of corrections that get made when you’re playing next to Joe Thuney every day with Dan Rouschar coaching you. Nicholas Singleton at 129 is the same bet I made i... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:37:18 GMT Patrick K. Flowers https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368146 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368146 false false It’s finally time! Draft Day has arrived! After months of speculation, we will finally get our answers tonight as to how the 1st Round will shake out. Let’s take a look at one final 2026 NFL Mock Draft with Round 1 kicking off in just a few short hours. 2026 NFL Mock Draft 1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza – Indiana It’s the pick everyone knows is happening. Let’s just make it official. 2. New York Jets: LB Arvell Reese – Ohio State It seems to be down to Arvell Reese or David Bailey here. Both should be very good NFL players. I lean toward Reese, but this feels like a coin flip. 3. Arizona Cardinals: RB Jeremiyah Love – Notre Dame It didn’t seem like Love was in play here until this week, and he’s gained some serious steam. David Bailey, Arvell Reese, or Francis Mauigoa still feel very live here, but for whatever reason, I think the Cardinals will try to hit a home run with arguably the draft’s best player. © Michael Caterina-Imagn Images 4. Tennessee Titans: EDGE David Bailey – Texas Tech I think the Titans would love to draft Jeremiyah Love, but if he does indeed end up going before they are on the clock, David Bailey seems like a very logical selection for them. I also wouldn’t rule out Sonny Styles, but I still lean toward Bailey, given that he plays on the edge. 5. New York Giants: S Caleb Downs – Ohio State Caleb Downs or Sonny Styles seems to be the pick here, though it’s becoming more and more obvious that the Giants also like Jordyn Tyson. Would they take him here, or would they hope that he makes it to the 10 spot? 6. Cleveland Browns: OT Francis Mauigoa – Miami Cleveland needs to add some playmakers offensively, but it also needs help on the offensive line. If Francis Mauigoa is on the board here, that feels like a really solid pick for them. 7. Washington Commanders: LB Sonny Styles – Ohio State I think this pick probably comes down to two Ohio State Buckeyes – Sonny Styles or Carnell Tate. Ultimately, I think Styles is the pick with Dan Quinn being a defensive-minded head coach. Having said that, they really do like Carnell Tate. I’d lean toward Styles, but it’s close. 8. New Orleans Saints: WR Carnell Tate – Ohio State Whether it’s Tate, Jordyn Tyson, or Makai Lemon here, I wouldn’t be all that surprised, but I do think that ultimately the Saints decide to get some help for Tyler Shough. Tate seems to be the safest, most well-rounded wideout in the class. 9. *TRADE* Dallas Cowboys (via KC): WR Jordyn Tyson – Arizona State Would this be a bit of a stunner? Sure. But it’s certainly possible. The Cowboys don’t need a wide receiver at the moment, but they could use another, especially with George Pickens’ contract negotiations not going very well right now, and . Plus, couldn’t you just see Jerry Jones trying to stick it to the Giants and new head coach John Harbaugh by jumping up a pick to grab the player they really wanted? © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images 10. New York Giants (via CIN): OT Spencer Fano – Utah After having Jordyn Tyson swiped from them at the last minute, John Harbaugh and company go with a solid, NFL-ready tackle who can play on either side, and really, just about anywhere on the line if need be. 11. Miami Dolphins: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. – Miami Miami has multiple needs. If the Dolphins get to the 11th pick and have their choice of Rueben Bain Jr. or Mansoor Delane, I think they’d be thrilled! Ultimately, I think they’d go with Bain Jr. and try to figure out the need at cornerback later in the draft, as they have another first-round pick. 12. Kansas City Chiefs (via mock trade with DAL): CB Mansoor Delane – LSU The Chiefs trade back three spots and swap the 29th pick for the 20th pick, and end up with the top cornerback in the draft. Don’t expect last year’s setback to last very long! 13. Los Angeles Rams (via ATL): WR Makai Lemon – USC The Rams could go tackle here, but Lemon feels like a great fit in Sean McVay’s offense, and their need at wide receiver has certainly grown as the offseason has advanced. 14. Baltimore Ravens: OT Monroe Freeling – Georgia Baltimore struggled to protect Lamar Jackson last season. Freeling is as big a body as this draft has to offer on the offensive line, and he can provide the Ravens a boost up front. Don’t rule out Vega Ioane here, either. 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: TE Kenyon Sadiq – Oregon Defense is certainly an area of need here, too, with holes at linebacker, edge, and cornerback. But Mike Evans is gone, and the tight end room could use a jolt. Sadiq’s versatile skillet would be great for Tampa and be a nice boost to that offense. © Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images 16. New York Jets: WR Omar Cooper Jr. – Indiana Don’t rule the Jets out as a potential trade-up candidate for one of the top three wideouts in this class. However, Omar Cooper Jr. would hardly be a consolation prize here, and I think the Jets would be thrilled to have him in this spot. 17. Detroit Lions: OT Kadyn Proctor – Alabama Aidan Hutchinson is a great pass rusher, but the... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:37:08 GMT Matt Rooney https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368144 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368144 false false Here is our final first-round NFL mock draft, which features many surprises at the beginning and end of the first 32 picks. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:32:32 GMT Mike Pendleton https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368105 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56368105 false false It is officially Draft Day! The first round of the NFL Draft is tonight, and yesterday, we published our first and last full first-round mock draft. You can check that out here. Now, let’s get Chicago Bears-focused completely, and let’s take a look at what the Bears could do with all their picks over the […] Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:21:27 GMT Bill Zimmerman https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56367980 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56367980 false false One NFL insider shared his last mock draft that has a warning to the Chicago Bears that might force them to make the selection they have to pick. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:08:32 GMT Anthony Miller https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56367828 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56367828 false false Our final Chicago Bears seven-round mock draft features big moves on defense and multiple trades to address key needs. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:56:15 GMT Preston Zbroszczyk https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56367707 https://sportspyder.com/nfl/chicago-bears/articles/56367707 false false