Chicago Bears 2026 Mock Draft: Ryan Poles Rebuilds Defensive Front for Super Bowl Push

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears are no longer “building for the future”—the future is here. After a 2025 season that saw the Windy City roar back into the elite conversation, GM Ryan Poles and Head Coach Ben Johnson are looking to the Chicago Bears 2026 NFL Mock Draft to push this roster over the top. With the D.J. Moore era in the rearview and a defensive nucleus locked in, the latest PFF simulator results suggest the front office is obsessed with one thing: pure, unadulterated violence in the trenches.

Round 1: The New Enforcer in the Secondary

At Pick 25, the simulator went against the grain. Despite signing Cam Lewis and Coby Bryant in free agency, the Bears grabbed Emmanuel McNeil-Warren out of Toledo. This isn’t just another body for the room; McNeil-Warren is a 6-foot-3, 201-pound heat-seeking missile. He finished 2025 as a Second-Team All-American with 77 tackles and three forced fumbles. While Bryant handles the deep half, McNeil-Warren is the downhill thumper this defense lacked. He treats the line of scrimmage like his personal property, and in Ben Johnson’s aggressive scheme, his ability to erase tight ends will be crucial.

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Round 2: Finding Montez Sweat’s Twin

The defensive line was the clear priority in the second round. At Pick 57, Chicago landed Michigan’s Derrick Moore. The senior is coming off a monster season where he racked up 10.0 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. Moore brings a pro-ready bull rush that should immediately alleviate the double teams Montez Sweat faced all last year. Just three picks later at 60, the Bears addressed the hole left by D.J. Moore by snagging NDSU’s Bryce Lance. Brother of Trey Lance, Bryce is a physical specimen at 6-foot-3 with documented 4.34 speed. He dominated the FCS with over 2,100 yards and 25 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Pairing his vertical threat with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III gives Caleb Williams an embarrassment of riches.

“We aren’t looking for players who just want to be in the NFL. We want guys who want to dominate it. If you can’t win your one-on-ones in the fourth quarter, you don’t fit in this locker room.”
— Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears Head Coach

The Late-Round Projects

Poles continued to throw darts at the defensive front in the middle and late rounds. Auburn’s Keyron Crawford (Round 3) is a high-ceiling speed rusher who recorded 43 pressures last year. He’s raw, but you can’t teach that first step. In the fourth, the Bears found a mountain in Zxavian Harris. The 6-foot-8, 335-pound Ole Miss product is a specialist at ruining field goal attempts, having blocked six kicks in his college career. If he develops as a rotational nose tackle, he could be the steal of the draft.

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What’s Next for the Bears

The focus now shifts to the final weeks of the pre-draft cycle. With two picks in the seventh round—including Illinois standout James Thompson Jr.—the Bears are clearly prioritizing local flavor and veteran-style leadership. Chicago enters April with a roster that has few holes, but as the 2025 playoffs showed, you can never have enough pass rushers. Expect Poles to be active on the phones if a top-tier interior defender starts to slide.