Latest Mock Draft is a Nightmare for the Bears, But Ryan Poles Can Fix That

The 2026 NFL draft is finally here. The first round will kick off in just a few hours, with the Las Vegas Raiders almost certainly selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall. That's about the only certainty in this year's draft, as even the second overall pick has been hotly debated by fans and draft analysts. Some think the New York Jets will select Ohio State's Arvell Reese, while others believe the pick will be Texas Tech's David Bailey, which is the pick I made for the Jets in my full first-round 2026 mock draft.

The Chicago Bears seem especially hard to predict in this year's draft. With realistic needs on both offense and defense, the Bears could go any number of ways with the No. 25 selection, and almost every mock draft you'll see this week will have a different prospect headed to the Bears. Albert Breer's 2026 mock draft sent Zion Young to the Bears, while Peter Schrager's insider intel has the Bears selecting T.J. Parker.

Meanwhile, NFL analyst Field Yates released his final 2026 NFL mock draft this morning, and it's a nightmare scenario for the Bears. He has Chicago selecting Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas. "Chicago has put an emphasis on getting faster this offseason, and Thomas would support that push," Yates writes. "He has an excellent first step, powerful hands and a high-level motor to help the Bears be less reliant on scheming pressure via blitzes. Last season, Chicago ranked 29th in pressure rate (28%)."

R Mason Thomas is the wrong pick for the Chicago Bears

Yates isn't wrong in his assessment of Chicago's feeble pass rush from last year and how the Bears are trying to address it, but this selection is a real head-scratcher. At six-foot-two and just 241 pounds, Thomas is way undersized for a Dennis Allen 4-3 defense. His short arms (31.5") and small hands make his fit even worse, and his injury history is the rotten cherry on top of it all. A short-limbed, undersized defensive end can be saved with explosive athleticism, as in the case of Rueben Bain Jr., but Thomas doesn't have that.

This is the first time I've seen Thomas projected to go in the first round, and for good reason. He doesn't have the size or speed to stand up to NFL offensive linemen. He would be a decent third-round pick as a rotational pass rusher, but no earlier than that.

The Bears should get aggressive on draft night if the board starts to fall the way Yates projects

Akheem Mesido — Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

To be fair to Yates, the Bears don't have many great options based on how his mock draft went for the first 24 selections. Only one player he mocks to a team picking after Chicago is someone I'd consider at No. 25, and that's Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker. However, even he feels like a bit of a reach at that point.

If this is how the draft starts to shake out tonight, then general manager Ryan Poles needs to act to get out ahead of the problem. Trading back would likely be the ideal scenario, but with more teams expected to want to trade back than up, that could be difficult. If that's not looking like an option for the Bears when they're making phone calls, then Poles should strongly consider moving up in the draft order.

It doesn't even have to be an aggressive move, though one NFL insider suspects they could make a big trade up. The Bears could feasibly make a jump from No. 25 to No. 21, swapping picks with the Pittsburgh Steelers in what should be an affordable transaction. According to the Drafttek trade value chart, it should only cost the Bears their third-round pick while receiving Pittsburgh's fourth-round pick in exchange. With this deal, the Bears could cut in line in front of the L.A. Chargers and draft Miami defensive end Akheem Mesidor, whom Fields mocks to the Chargers at No. 22.

The Bottom Line

Ben Johnson and Ryan Pole — Photo: Chicago Bears video

Enough ink has been spilled on mock drafts and draft predictions. Everyone seems to have their own assessments of the Bears' needs, the prospects, and who provides the best value. At the end of the day, Bears fans are just going to have to trust that Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson have a plan and will make the best pick possible. I would say that their home run draft class from 2025 has earned them the benefit of the doubt for at least one year.

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