
The week of practice down at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama is in the books with the showcase game set to be played on Saturday and tons of prospects have already boosted their draft stock in a major way during the three days of practice.
A to Z Sports had multiple draft experts in attendance throughout the week and reported on all the various risers across multiple positions. The Chicago Bears had multiple executives in attendance as well this week including general manager Ryan Poles and former assistant GM Ian Cunningham.
I'm sure the Bears brass liked what they saw in the trenches, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but prospects at other positions stood out as well and could be on the team's radar after this week. Here's a quick 7-round mock draft that only includes Senior Bowl practice standouts that could fit in with what the Bears are building.
Few players boosted their stock this week more than Hunter. After starting the week as a Top-25 selection on Daniel Jeremiah's first mock draft of the season, Hunter caught even more of the spotlight with his dominating play and the agility he showed off during drills. It's clear this guy has first-round potential now and can be a disrupter for a team looking for an interior monster.
Lee Hunter, DT Texas Tech running drills faster and smoother than the edge rushers! #SeniorBowl @AtoZSportsNFL pic.twitter.com/r4Lj68ASZH
— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) January 27, 2026
I'm really leaning into the idea that the Bears double-up on the defensive line with the first two selections in April's draft. After landing a monster inside, the Bears look to add some depth off the edge with Zion Young. The EDGE position is going to be a fascinating one to watch play out throughout the first two rounds because multiple prospects have first-round talent. I can see the Bears missing out on some of the top names, but coming back around to Young in the second would be excellent value. Young's size and length fits what Dennis Allen is looking for, but he does lack the explosive first step the Bears would ideally like to add to the room.
Clark was a popular name throughout the week and got some much-needed momentum going into the NFL Combine. Truthfully, the safety position is going to be tricky for Clark's projection with Caleb Banks, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and Dillon Thieneman ranked above him at the position, not to mention it's a hard position to evaluate in general. But, with four safeties on expiring contracts, the Bears need to find a replacement as early as possible in this draft. Clark can be a do-it-all safety and slide in wherever he's needed for a defense. And he was making plays all week long at practice.
Bud Clark DB TCU with the deep INT! He is just unreal right now! #SeniorBowl @AtoZSportsNFL pic.twitter.com/CudtPnIoKa
— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) January 29, 2026
Two straight years with a fourth-round pick at linebacker? The Bears made the bold move of drafting Ruben Hyppolite II in the fourth-round of last year's draft viewing him as a potential sleeper and banking on his speed. Yet, Hyppolite played just seven games during his rookie season, which was more concerning with the amount of injuries the Bears had at the position. Add in the possibility of cutting Tremaine Edmunds, yeah drafting another linebacker seems like a smart idea. Louis is a player I'm keeping my eye on as an early Day 3 option that can take over that role as the weakside backer.
Finally in round five Ben Johnson can get into the action and start drafting some more offensive talent. With DJ Moore's future up in the air in Chicago, the Bears would be smart adding another receiver to the room to develop behind Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Jahdae Walker. I'm keeping my eye on speedy slot receivers that can make tough catches in traffic. Coleman fits that bill while adding some punt return value as well.
Kevin Coleman WR Missouri with the ridiculous concentration grab for the TD in red zone 1-on-1s! #SeniorBowl @AtoZSportsNFL pic.twitter.com/Vg8yk1xOkA
— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) January 29, 2026
Tight end is a sneaky position to watch despite having Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet locked up on the roster. The Bears third TE in Durham Smythe is set to hit free agency and Johnson loved rolling out the 2/3-TE packages last season. Koziol showed he can be a matchup nightmare in the red zone this week using his height to his advantage. He's got plenty of room to grow as a blocker but that's something the Bears can look to bring out of his game.
As always, I can't leave a mock draft without adding a cornerback at some point. The Bears CB position is solid going into 2026 with Zah Frazier and Terell Smith set to rejoin the group after missing all of last season, but you can never have enough depth at this position. Demmings is a late-round guy that everyone should be aware of. He's very similar to what the Bears had in Nahshon Wright as a plus run defender on the outside with tremendous ball skills in coverage. A safe prospect to swing on.
Stephen F. Austin CB Charles Demmings is one of my favorite sleepers in the 2026 NFL Draft class. Press tech is tremendous and the kid can run with + length… 9 interceptions in career.
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) January 21, 2026
Expected to test well. Some numbers I’ve been told:
4.3 low forty
44” vert
11’3” broad
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