Matt Miller Thinks This Year’s Edge Rusher Class Is Ideal For Bears In 2026 NFL Draft

Whether they take an edge rusher in the first round or somewhere on Day 2, there’s no doubt the Chicago Bears could use an impactful young edge to make a difference right away.

Fortunately, as many experts have pointed out, this happens to be an edge class with a lot of promising young talent on it. So even though the Bears might not get a blue-chip talent at the top of the draft, No. 25 overall will offer them some opportunities to get better at that spot.

Count ESPN’s Matt Miller as one of those who think the Bears are in a great spot to improve at that crucial position.

“This is a great edge class. … I think the key is someone opposite Montez Sweat who has more of a power element to their game, someone that can be an edge-setter in the run game,” Miller told Spiegel and Holmes on 104.3 The Score. “We’re going to see a lot of edges [drafted] in that 20-32 [range]. Those picks, it’s going to be a lot of edge players because that’s where the strength of this class is.”

We’ve certainly seen and heard plenty of good things about this year’s edge crop from the Senior Bowl, and they’ll be one of the primetime positions at the NFL Combine later this month, for sure.

As for his personal preference for who the Bears should target, Miller planted his flag on the Zion Young train in his latest mock draft, picking the Mizzou edge with the No. 25 overall pick and calling him a “lock” as a top-40 player in the draft.

“The 6-foot-5, 262-pound Young is more of a three-down edge setter than a sudden pass rusher, but he uses a long-arm move to set up tackles and establish the corner in the run game. Young needs to develop a secondary pass-rush move with a better plan, but the traits are there for him to be a solid starter in a 4-3 defense,” he wrote.

Miller also added Clemson’s T.J. Parker as a strong fit for the Bears but noted he had Parker coming off the board at No. 20 overall to the Cowboys.

Of course, the Bears also need to address their defensive tackle spot, with other analysts opting to go there instead of edge. But with all the talent on the defensive line in this draft, it’s hard to go wrong. They just have to pick the guy they think is best and let it fly. Young’s length, strength, and relentless pursuit should put him in the conversation for No. 25.

Plus, if he’s anything like his old Mizzou teammate Luther Burden III, the Bears would be getting an absolute dawg.

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