Bear Digest

The Mistake by Mel Kiper Jr. With Bears' Pick in First Mock Draft

Sometimes even the best start out on the wrong foot and it appears Mel Kiper Jr. did with his first mock draft regarding the Bears, but here's the right pick.
Gene Chamberlain|
Florida's Caleb Banks applies the pressure to Carson Beck in a playoff game.
Florida's Caleb Banks applies the pressure to Carson Beck in a playoff game. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Far be it from anyone to challenge the authority of the original draft guru, Mel Kiper Jr.

He was putting people like the late Bill Tobin in their place long before anyone even thought of Draftology as a science.

However, it must be noted the draft process is early in the 2026 process and as such even the king of all Draftniks makes mistakes. He did when making a pick for the Bears in his first mock draft.

His first mock draft this year named Ohio State interior defensive lineman Kayden McDonald as the selection at No. 25.

While many Bears fans who follow the draft closely will once again point at 240-pound edge rushers with great speed and utter "gimme," those who know what's going on will realize the edges at that size do not fit what Dennis Allen does with his Bears scheme. Austin Booker was actually too thin and wiry initially for this type of scheme but has been adding mass and strength while showing improved technique, except for his fun habit of lowering a helmet into one particular quarterback.

Kiper, instead, has chosen the right position for a team allowing 5.0 yards per  rush. He simply took the wrong player.

Who Mel Kiper should have selected

The pick should have been one Kiper had going five picks later at No. 30, Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks, only because the Bears aren't going to be willing to give up enough to trade up and pick Reuben Bain.

Banks is going to be forgotten by some because he suffered a foot injury early on in 2025 and wound up playing only in three games.

This will need to be checked out by medical people at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he should be good to go for workouts because he returned from the foot injury late in the season to play in one game.

This fact alone was deemed an admirable quality as he easily could have called it quits and taken aim at the draft but wanted to come back and help teammates.

The difference between McDonald, who was productive against good competition, and Banks is pure athleticism according to analysis.

Pro Football Network's look at the two players was very kind to McDonald as a run stopper and someone with decent pass rush value. They bubbled over with enthusiasm describing Banks, though.

At 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, he is 4 pounds heavier but 3 inches taller than  the Buckeyes player. But PFN cited several Pro Football Focus analytics and McDonald come out lacking the explosiveness of Banks.

"Notably, per PFF, he (McDonald) has a lower pressure percentage of just 5.7%, corroborating the fact that his pass-rush consistency can improve," PFN wrote.

The idea with a defensive tackle for the Bears is to get someone who does stop the run, but Allen's scheme has never been based on a hunker-down type up front. In fact, he had virtually no defensive tackles over 305 after his first couple years calling Saints defensive shots.

Times have changed a bit as more athletic defensive linemen have come into the league at that bigger weight. People like Dexter Lawrence have trucked blockers and then sped to the QB. They would have more desired position versatility from Banks.

"Extreme explosiveness Agile praiss his "high-end lateral twitch and corrective athleticism." was how PFN described Banks.

The injury hid him. He actually had 6 1/2 sacks going into is injury-plague 2025 season or would have come in with more prodigious totals.

Banks, who started out at Louisville, can play end or tackle, something the Bears look for from linemen. He had 10 1/2 tackles for loss.

Freakish size and agility

At almost 6-7, he brings an added ability to knock down passes at the line that would be less likely with McDonald. Not only is he 6-7, but he has arms over 35 inches long like a good offensive tackle.

While wrapping up the season, GM Ryan Poles was asked about his pass rush. The answer to what they need lies within.

"I look forward to Shemar (Turner) getting back and Dayo (Odeyingbo) getting back," Poles said.

They lost Odeyingbo to surgery for his Achilles tendon in the first week of November.

They lost Turner the week before to a torn ACL.

There is no guarantee either comes back by the end of July 100% from those injuries. Both players have edge and inside rush capability. They have to find someone they know can be versatile enough to play both and to stop both the run and pass because Gervon Dexter hasn't stopped the run in three seasons.

At 25th in Round, Banks is better for this than McDonald and it will become apparent the longer the draft process continues.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.