Who Should The Chicago Bears Draft 25th Overall?

Kayden McDonald would be a Massive fix for the Bears’ run defense that has struggled for years. Coming off of Defensive Lineman of the Year in the Big 10, He would be a plug-in starter on the Dennis Allen D-line. The 6-foot-2, 325-pound beast finished the year with 65 tackles, 9 TFLs, and 3 sacks. He isn’t an athletic freak, but he wins because of his ability to get off the line.

McDonald is dominant in the run game, in double teams, he clogs holes and allows linebackers to come free over the top while punishing single blockers and blowing up plays. Overall, this is a great fit for a team in need of interior help. McDonald would bring a bit of nastiness back to the Monsters of the Midway.

Lee Hunter

Watching Lee Hunter film is like watching Chris Jones at times. His pass rush moves are polished and clean, and when he wants to get after the QB, he does. He rotated a lot on a loaded Texas Tech front seven, finishing 310th in total snaps in 2025. But you can see the dominance in the pass game. He finished 100th in passing down snaps, while also forcing 25 pressures, 52nd in the country.

The question becomes, can Hunter be an above-average run defender? At Tech, he wasn’t asked to be that, so it remains to be seen if he can at the next level. This is a player the Bears need to do their homework on, but could be a staple of their defense for years to come.

TJ Parker

If this draft were a year ago, Parker may have been the 1st overall pick. Parker was dominant in 2024, recording 12 sacks. In 2025, his numbers plummeted. Only reaching 6 sacks. He is a pass rush savant who has 3 down upside defending the run. There are a lot of questions about his drop off in production after his 24′ season, including the Bears, who met with him early in the week at the combine.

The Bears’ main focus, from what Parker says, was figuring out how he could get back to that level of player. If Chicago thinks that 2024 TJ Parker is the player they get when they draft him in 2026, then there is no question who they should be taking.

Maxx Crosby……..

This is a pipe dream. Or is it? Maxx Crosby is a consensus top 5 edge rusher in the league, and the Bears need pass rush help as much as we need air to breathe. The Raiders are looking to give their quarterback of the future as many weapons as they can. Chicago may just have what they need. Dj Moore kicked off the Ryan Poles era in a massive way when he was acquired and has been a standout leader for the team ever since. With the emergence of Burden and Loveland, there is an opportunity to make a move. Moore is due over 50 million dollars over the next two seasons.

This is a lot to pay for an older receiver who may quickly find himself farther down the depth chart. Chicago should avoid trading multiple first-round picks; it could severely hurt the team’s future. If a deal were reached, it would resemble something like this: Moore, 25th overall pick, 2026 3rd round, 2027 4th round pick for Crosby and a 5th rounder. If the Bears think the players they want will be gone at 25, then they may look to go and get one of the most dangerous defensive players in the entire league.

The Bears are uniquely positioned to make a run at a championship. They have the coach. They have the Quarterback. They have a city and a fan base behind them. Everyone always says Offense wins games and Defense wins championships. If Chicago can get the defense right, the sky is the limit for what this team can do.