Chicago Bears NFL Draft Preview: Dark horse first-round candidates who could be in play with the 25th overall pick
Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Colton Hood (8) reacts after a pass break up against the Syracuse Orange in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brett Davis-Imagn Images The 2026 NFL Draft is going to be unpredictable when the first-round kicks off later this week and the Chicago Bears are one of the teams that can throw a curveball by targeting one of these five surprise prospects. Welcome to Draft Week.
The 2026 NFL Draft will kick off starting on Thursday with the first-round selections and the Chicago Bears remain one of the biggest mysteries in what could be a highly unpredictable first 32 picks. Chicago’s best player available approach has kept all options on the table when it comes to the 25th overall pick, even though experts seem to believe the Bears will target a top defensive lineman, offensive tackle, or safety. Truthfully, we have absolutely no idea what general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have up their sleeves for Thursday night.
So, let’s throw out five dark horse names the Bears could target with their first-round pick that would be a surprise move. 5. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech Jacob Rodriguez has plenty of fans around the league coming off an impressive 2025 season and an even more impressive pre-draft process.
Will it be enough to warrant a first-round pick? To me, it wouldn’t be a shock to hear his name called on opening night. The shock here would be Chicago making that move.
The Bears already made three additions to the LB room this offseason in Devin Bush, D’Marco Jackson (re-signed), and Jack Sanborn while already having T. J. Edwards and Ruben Hyppolite II.
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