Chicago Bears' Top 5 NFL Draft Needs After 2026 Free Agency, Ranked
Here are the Chicago Bears' five biggest 2026 NFL Draft needs, ranked, with top prospects at each position.
Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles had an active but calculated free-agency period. He patched depth, but he didn't plug every hole.
Both starting safeties walked. The pass rush is still thin beyond Montez Sweat. And Drew Dalman retired.
The 2026 NFL Draft (April 23) is Chicago's best opportunity to change all of that. Here are the Bears' five most urgent needs heading into draft night, ranked.
1. Edge Rusher
This is the Bears' most glaring hole, and the numbers make that impossible to argue.
Chicago recorded just 35 sacks in 2025 — tied for 22nd in the league — on a 28.0% pressure rate that ranked 29th. Montez Sweat was responsible for 10 of those sacks.
The problem? There was almost nothing behind him. Dayo Odeyingbo was brought in last offseason to be the second edge presence, but an Achilles injury cut his season short after just one sack in eight games.
The depth signings of defensive linemen Kentavius Street and Neville Gallimore are rotational interior pieces. New defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's scheme demands consistent interior and exterior pressure, and right now, the Bears simply don't have it.
Notably, Chicago hasn't used a top-50 pick on an edge rusher since Leonard Floyd went ninth overall in 2016. Something has to give.
Prospects to watch: Zion Young (Missouri), Akheem Mesidor (Miami), Cashius Howell (Texas A&M), T.J. Parker (Clemson)
2. Safety
The Bears entered the offseason with zero safeties under contract and spent heavily to get one: Coby Bryant arrived from Seattle on a three-year, $40 million deal.
But Kevin Byard III signed with the New England Patriots, and Jaquan Brisker landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving Chicago needing a legitimate starter to play opposite Bryant.
The draft is drawing heavy attention here. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com called Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren an upgrade over the departed Brisker, a physically imposing, 6-foot-4, 200-pound playmaker who has forced nine fumbles at the college level and models the kind of hard-hitting, ball-hawking presence Allen wants at the back end of his defense.
Multiple national analysts have him mocked directly to Chicago at No. 25, making safety arguably the biggest first-round competitor to edge rusher for that pick.
Prospects to watch: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo), Dillon Thieneman (Oregon), A.J. Haulcy (LSU)
3. Left Tackle
Caleb Williams needs to be kept upright, and the left tackle situation remains unsettled.
Ozzy Trapilo, the team's projected starter, is expected to miss most of the 2026 season recovering from a knee injury. That pushed Chicago to re-sign Braxton Jones on a one-year deal and add Jedrick Wills — a former first-round pick himself — on another one-year contract.
Neither move screams long-term solution.
Wills brings starting pedigree but a significant injury history. He didn't play in 2025. Jones has been a functional starter, not an elite one. With Williams' protection directly on the line, Chicago needs a high-ceiling prospect here.
Prospects to watch: Monroe Freeling (Georgia), Kayden Proctor (Alabama), Caleb Lomu (Utah)
4. Defensive Tackle
The Bears quietly telegraphed their intentions here. Despite having the cap space to land a premier interior rusher in free agency, Poles passed on that market entirely, signing only Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street as rotational depth.
That tells you everything.
The front office is banking on the draft to deliver the high-ceiling, disruptive three-technique they need.
Grady Jarrett is a quality veteran, but he's aging. Gervon Dexter has appeared in trade speculation. The Bears need a young anchor who can collapse the pocket and eat double teams to make Sweat's life easier on the outside.
Prospects to watch: Caleb Banks (Florida), Peter Woods (Clemson), Kayden McDonald (Ohio State), Lee Hunter (Texas Tech)
5. Center
Drew Dalman's shocking retirement at 27 blew open the most important position on Chicago's offensive line. Poles moved quickly, trading a 2027 fifth-rounder to New England for Garrett Bradbury, a Super Bowl champion who is familiar with the system and comes at a bargain price of $4.7 million for 2026. It was a smart, cost-efficient move. But Bradbury is 30 years old and has never been an elite starter. He is a bridge, not a cornerstone.
Ben Johnson's offense places enormous cognitive demands on the center: pre-snap communication, identifying the Mike linebacker, handling stunts, and, of course, protecting Caleb Williams. The Bears addressed the immediate need, but they still lack the young, high-ceiling anchor this line needs long-term. The 2026 draft class has legitimate options in the middle rounds, and Poles would be wise to take one.
Prospects to watch: Jake Slaughter (Florida), Connor Lew (Auburn), Logan Jones (Iowa), Sam Hecht (Kansas State)
