Bears 7-round mock draft: Chicago shores up offense, defense trenches

The 2026 NFL Draft is just weeks away, so the anticipation and focus is ramping up as the Chicago Bears look to improve their roster going into the 2026 season. Recently, head coach Ben Johnson said he doesn't want to hear anything more about the success the team had in 2025, when they won the NFC North title, won 11 games, and made it to the NFC divisional playoff round, so the focus is fully on the 2026 season. With several veterans departing on both offense and defense, while adding extra draft capital in the trade that sent DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles have plenty of ammunition to attack the draft.

This could shape out to be a draft in which the Bears focus heavy on the draft or simply using their approach of taking the best available player in each round. As the draft draws near, here's our latest seven-round mock projecting where the Bears could go with their picks in a few weeks. Round 1, Pick 25: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo It is hard to argue against Emmanuel McNeil-Warren if he is available by the time the Bears first-round selection comes around.

There have been plenty of mock drafts that project an interior defensive lineman or edge rusher, but for what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is looking to bring to the defense, McNeil-Warren's ballhawk ability stands out above all others at this pick. Round 2, Pick 57: Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF Chicago should not waste time in looking to add to their edge rushing department if they focus on their secondary in the first round. Malachi Lawrence has drawn comparisons to a guy the Bears organization knows very well from their previous time together, Khalil Mack, and that would be quite the find even if he has plenty of growth and development to even scratch the surface of that potential.

Speed and relentlessness are two of the biggest keys for Chicago's defense, and Lawrence fits that bill as a pure pass rusher. Round 2, Pick 60: Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma No reason to go away from the defensive line after addressing edge rusher just three picks earlier. This could be a little bit of a reach but if Gracen Halton is there, he may be worth the reach even if he'll be a rotational piece early on.