Bears Predicted to Add Electric Playmaker for Underrated Need in 2026 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears need to address the wide receiver position and a recent mock draft has them doing just that in the third round.

Chicago Bears fans hold up a sign. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While so much attention has rightly been on which defensive players the Chicago Bears could take in the 2026 NFL Draft, conversations about the offense have been minimal.

It's very clear the Bears have multiple important needs to address on defense, with edge rusher, interior defensive line and safety being among them.

But not many people are talking about wide receiver, where the Bears have a good but not great situation currently.

Windy City Gridiron's Aaron Leming has identified wide receiver as a need for the Bears and has Chicago taking Ole Miss pass-catcher De'Zhaun Stribling in Round 3.

"The receiver position might not be an immediate need, but after trading Moore, the depth behind the team’s Top 2 on the depth chart needs improvement," Leming wrote.

"Stribling is a player who might never become a well-rounded receiver, but he’s in the mold of a player like Jameson Williams and brings a speed element that they don’t currently possess," Leming added. "There will be multiple good options starting around this point in the draft, and I’d fully expect Johnson to get his pick at some point late in Day 2 or early Day 3."

Why the Bears should draft a wide receiver

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze. | David Banks-Imagn Images

As promising as Rome Odunze and Luther Burden have been, the jury is still out on both. Odunze looked to be emerging as a legit No. 1 wideout in 2025, but injury slowed him after that. We are definitely high on Burden, but a strong half of one season isn't sufficient enough to crown him a legitimate starter quite yet.

With DJ Moore no longer on the roster thanks to the trade with the Buffalo Bills, depth isn't great behind those two, either. As of right now, the Bears are relying on the unproven Jahdae Walker and veteran Kalif Raymond for the No. 3 and 4 receiver roles.

Rounding out the depth chart are Maurice Alexander, who has four NFL games under his belt, and JP Richardson, who has one. Both players are practice squad-level talents, at best.

At the very least, the Bears need to add competition for the back end of the depth chart, but Chicago should also be aiming for competition for Walker and Raymond.

De'Zhaun Stribling is an electric playmaker

Mississippi wideout De'Zhaun Stribling. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stribling finished off his collegiate career with back-to-back 800-yard seasons, one of which came with Oklahoma State in 2024, when he tallied an impressive 17 yards per reception.

With 4.36 speed, Stribling is one of the faster wideouts in this year's class. He is a vertical threat and menace after the catch, giving him multiple ways to flash his electric playmaking ability.

At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, Stribling has the size to thrive in contested-catch and goal-line situations, also, although he definitely needs some work in the former area.

If there's one thing the Bears' wide receivers room doesn't have enough of, it's downfield ability. If head coach Ben Johnson can mold Stribling into his next Jameson Williams, the Ole Miss product will add another element to Chicago's offense.