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2026 NFL Mock Draft: Chicago Bears offense lands missing piece in Round 1

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 2:25 PM ET

The 2025 college football season is officially underway, and with its return comes the start of NFL Draft season.

The weekly narratives around this year's group of prospects will change like the weather, but there are a handful of first-round locks who, barring injury, will hear their names called in the first 32 picks.

And one of those guys, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, was sent to the Chicago Bears in a new 2026 NFL Mock Draft from Fox Sports.

"The only running back we have going in the first round, Jeremiyah Love is just an absolute stud," the Fox Sports crew wrote. "While D'Andre Swift is only 26 years old, pairing him with Love would be a dynamic tandem to help take some pressure off Caleb Williams. The Notre Dame tailback set a school record with 13 straight games recording a rushing TD, and averaged a whopping 6.9 yards per carry with 1,125 rushing yards on the season in 2024."

Assuming the Bears' offense takes the jump it's expected to this year, landing a prospect like Love would add a nuclear weapon to Ben Johnson's arsenal.

Love is my runaway top running back in the 2026 NFL Draft, and there are parts of his game that remind me of Adrian Peterson. Yes, he has a chance to end this season with that kind of grade.

With only 4 more days left until Notre Dame Football returns it’s a great day to relive #4 Jeremiyah Love’s touchdown against Penn State in the Orange Bowl last season. It quickly became one of the greatest TD runs in Notre Dame History ☘️ pic.twitter.com/PW3G4Oduh2
— Bruce Straughan (@bruce_straughan) August 27, 2025

If Jeremiyah Love has the kind of dominant season we're all expecting he will, there's no way he'll fall outside the first 10 picks. Remember: Ashton Jeanty was the sixth overall selection in the 2025 draft; there's a chance Love will have a higher NFL grade than Jeanty by the time April rolls around.

In this Fox Sports mock draft, The Chicago Bears own the 17th overall pick. Normally, it would feel safe to project a running back in that range of first-round picks becuase of the devaluation of the position.

But that whole thought process is beginning to change (i.e., running backs are beginning to matter more and more), making it highly unlikely the Bears (or any running back-needy team) will be in a position to select Love if they're selecting outside the first 10 picks.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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