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Mock draft sends Bears jaw-dropping 2026 first-round choice

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 9:47 PM ET

Chicago Bears training camp is just a few weeks away, and while the long and painful wait continues to march on, NFL draft analysts are hard at work publishing early first-round mock drafts.

Not all mock drafts are created equal, however, and while it would be foolish to get emotional about a first-round projection in July, the latest mock draft published by NFL Spin Zone will cause Bears Nation to get... upset.

In this mock draft, Chicago selects Florida offensive lineman Jake Slaughter, the interior offensive lineman who would join a logjam of high-end talent already on the roster at guard and center.

The Bears traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, both of whom will get paid big money over the next few years, and they signed Drew Dalman to one of the most lucrative contracts for a center in the NFL.

Adding Slaughter to that mix would almost feel like a wasted first-round pick, unless you're in the camp of football fans who believe there's no such thing as too much depth and talent along the offensive line.

"The idea of taking a pure center like Jake Slaughter might not be the ultimate direction for the Bears, but if you feel like one of Slaughter or Drew Dalman can play the guard position at a high level, that might be the direction this team takes," Sayre Bedinger wrote. "Jonah Jackson was a nice risk-reward option for the Bears this offseason, but there’s a reason he’s on his third team in a short amount of time."

This is the danger with early mock drafts. Jackson could very well prove to be a liability at guard if he doesn't regain the Pro Bowl form he had under Ben Johnson in Detroit. But he could also return to that top-shelf status and all but eliminate offensive line as an early round draft need.

It's fun to read a mock draft that doesn't repeat the early themes that are developing around the Bears within draft media. Running back and edge rusher are routinely the team's first-round targets; not interior offensive linemen.

Still, some picks simply don't make sense. This is one of them.

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

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