Four Late-Round Sleepers the Bears Can't Afford to Miss in the 2026 NFL Draft

The 2026 NFL draft is exactly one week away, and most NFL fans by now have a pretty good idea of who they want their team to draft in the first round. But there are seven rounds in the NFL draft, and starters can be found anywhere from the first overall pick to the very last.

The Chicago Bears have just three selections for Day 3 of the draft, but that could change with a couple of trades. One trade-down scenario in the first round could net the Bears a fifth-round pick, or they could move back with one of their second-round picks, too. Netting those extra picks should almost be considered a necessity since the Bears could very well find their long-term Drew Dalman replacement in the fourth or fifth rounds of the draft.

To be clear, these Day 3 picks are little more than lottery tickets. You draft the best player left on your board and hope that he can be coached up to his full potential. Luckily, the Chicago Bears have an excellent coaching staff that can make the fans feel pretty good about those bets. For my money, here are four prospects expected to go in Round 4 or later that I think the Bears should aggressively target.

1. Landon Robinson - Defensive Tackle, Navy

I'm not sure if Robinson still counts as a sleeper, but I'm including him anyway. I've been high on Robinson's fit with the Bears since January, when I wrote about him as a fast riser in the 2026 NFL draft. He's a high-character, high-motor defensive tackle, and he even has the athleticism to be a consideration for trick plays, like when he took a fake punt in the 2024 Army-Navy game and carried the ball nearly 30 yards for a first down.

WHAT A WILD PLAY -- Navy calls a fake punt to the big man Landon Robinson!

He picks up the first, fumbles, but Navy keeps it! pic.twitter.com/2GfXhypE9i
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 14, 2024

2. Beau Stephens - Guard, Iowa

Joe Thuney may be the first NFL Protector of the Year, but the Bears need to begin planning for a successor at left guard, and the 2026 NFL draft has the perfect candidate. Beau Stephens has been Iowa's starting left guard for two years, and in 2025, he allowed no sacks or QB hits and was called for no penalties. The 2025 first-team All-American would have at least one, and probably two, years to sit behind a future Hall of Famer at his position, and that could set him up for immediate success once his number is called.

3. J. Michael Sturdivant- Receiver, Florida

When it comes to Day 3 of the NFL draft, I'm a big fan of taking flyers on freak athletes such as J. Michael Sturdivant. Sturdivant is a big receiver at six-foot-three and 207 pounds, but he still ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He also hit a 39" vertical jump and a ten-foot-eleven broad jump, which are good indicators of explosive athleticism. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) was a nearly perfect 9.96 out of 10.

His college production was subpar, but Chicago wouldn't ask anything more of him than to be a reliable WR3. His elite size and athleticism could make him another game-breaker for Ben Johnson to scheme open, and that could be just enough to take Chicago's offense to the next level.

4. Taurean York - Linebacker, Texas A&M

In addition to betting on physical gifts in Day 3 of the NFL draft, I'm also a fan of taking plain good football players like Taurean York. Unfortunately for the Texas A&M linebacker, he's drastically undersized and has short arms, but his football IQ is off the charts, and he plays with a motor that runs white-hot. His physical limitations will always be a detriment in the NFL, but I don't think you'll find a more instinctive, hard-working linebacker in this draft class.

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