Positions Bears Can Safely Ignore Until at Least Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears find themselves in a tough spot going into the 2026 NFL Draft because the team only has seven picks in total.

To make matters worse, Chicago has a massive gap between its first Day 3 pick and its final two. After the Bears pick in the fourth round with the selection acquired from the Los Angeles Rams, the team won't be on the clock again until the seventh round.

A win-now team like the Bears that has Super Bowl aspirations doesn't exactly have the luxury of just going best player available over the first two days and general manager Ryan Poles has to be selective with his Day 2 picks. If there isn't a player the Bears need, the best bet is trading back and acquiring more picks, especially if those picks are in 2027, a much deeper draft.

In order to avoid a logjam at certain positions this coming season, the Bears can safely avoid drafting players at these three spots in the 2026 NFL Draft. We've excluded the quarterback position because of how blatantly obvious it is.

Offensive line

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (75) warms up during minicamp at Halas Hall — Chicago Bears offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

As we've written, the left tackle position is highly questionable because of the patellar tendon injury suffered by Ozzy Trapilo. According to our breakdown of the 2026 tackle class, Trapilo's recovery could stretch well into the season, forcing Chicago to rely on a patchwork solution. The Bears re-signed Theo Benedet and Braxton Jones, as well as signing veteran Jedrick Willis from Cleveland, all presumably to compete for time, at least until Trapilo is ready to play. It would seem, at the very least, the Bears have aimed for veterans to fill that role.

"Obviously, you'd love to have your long-term starter for the next 10 years locked up," Bears coach Ben Johnson said at the NFL's annual league meeting in Arizona in early April, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "There's a lot of uncertainty right now though. We don't know. Ozzy's coming off a pretty serious injury. Not sure if we'll have him next year or at what point he'll come up. And so we're going to have an opportunity right now for a lot of competition."

Tight end

Bears TE Colston Loveland had a monster second-half of the season, thriving within Ben Johnson's two-TE sets. As noted among recent re-gradings of the 2025 rookie class, the first-rounder finished the year leading the team in receptions and yards (the first rookie to do so since Willie Gault in 1983), cementing his status as a top-five NFL talent at the position. Pairing with veteran Cole Kmet, the Bears saw the beginning of a formidable passing offense through the over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns combined from their tight end duo.

No team will carry three passing options among their tight ends, but Ben Johnson in particular cherishes the blocking expertise of deep rostered tight ends. That's the only role that's even possibly in question in 2026.

Wide receiver

Even with the departure of DJ Moore, traded to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick in March, the Bears have plenty of firepower among their wide receiving unit. Luther Burden's ability to create plays after the catch is exactly the dynamic element Johnson wanted in the former second-round pick.

"He’s got some of the best run after catch in the game right now," Johnson said at the recent owners' meetings, according to CHGO. "I really believe that. We need to continue to get the ball in his hands as often as we possibly can. This guy loves football. If you took football away from him, I don’t know what he would want to do with himself.”