Bear Digest

Latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft Sends Bears a Trenches Fix with Massive Defensive Upside

Yahoo Sports projects the Bears targeting a powerful interior defender at No. 25 in the 2026 NFL Draft to address a lingering defensive flaw.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears continue to be one of the more fascinating teams to project in early 2026 NFL mock drafts, and Yahoo Sports believes their long-term defensive answer could come from the heart of the interior defensive line.

In Yahoo Sports' latest 2026 NFL mock draft, Chicago selects Lee Hunter, a defensive tackle out of Texas Tech, with the No. 25 overall pick.

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Yahoo's reasoning is rooted in an issue that surfaced repeatedly during the 2025 season.

"The Bears' defense had admirable late-season performances, notably against the Rams in the divisional roud, but that group needs to become more stout against the run," Yahoo's Nate Tice wrote.

While Chicago showed resilience down the stretch, their run defense remains a lingering concern. It makes Hunter a logical projection, especially in a draft class widely viewed as pretty strong along the interior defensive line.

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Tice describes Hunter as a classic run-first defensive tackle with modern traits.

"Hunter is one of those talented interior defenders, and he would give the Bears a burly defender who can eat blocks but also get into the backfield," Tice wrote. "He even has upside as a pass rusher."

At his best, Hunter profiles as the type of space-eating presence the Bears lacked in 2025. His movement skills stand out for a player of his size, making him a scheme-diverse player, too.

"Hunter has to work on down-to-down consistency, but there aren't a lot of players with this size who can move as easily as Hunter does," Tice wrote.

For a Chicago Bears team drafting at the back end of the first round, that blend of high floor against the run and untapped pass-rush potential fits the profile of a value-driven first-round pick.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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