Hold the phones, ladies and gentlemen of the Chicago Bears fandom.
Just when you thought it was all but locked in that the Bears would go with a defensive player, specifically a tackle or end, with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft (as Peter Schrager did in his final mock by sending Clemson edge T.J. Parker to Chicago), ESPN’s Dan Graziano might’ve just spoiled a little surprise.
According to Graziano’s latest batch of pre-draft intel, the Bears are among a bevy of teams with strong interest in leaving the first round with an offensive lineman.
“I’m predicting at least seven and as many as 10 offensive linemen get picked in the first round. There’s a late-round zone loaded with teams that would love to come out of Thursday night with a new offensive lineman, including the Lions, Panthers, Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Browns, Bears, 49ers, Chiefs and Patriots,” he wrote.
On one hand, this isn’t exactly a complete shocker.
The Bears, as we know, have a rather substantial underlying need at left tackle. While they have about 15 different bodies on the roster to throw at the position, none of them are particularly good, which presents a problem in a highly important season for Caleb Williams and company. When Graziano suggests the Bears are a team in the market for an offensive lineman that early, LT is really the only position they’d be in the market for?
The problem: who knows if the Bears can grab a tackle worth getting at No. 25? I personally wouldn’t bet money on it. Which leads us to the question we’ve asked before: would the Bears consider trading up a few spots to grab one that falls?
If Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor slips into the 20s or anywhere in that vicinity, he might be worth making the move for, especially if the predicted run on offensive tackles occurs as expected. He might be more of a fit at left tackle than, say, the massive Kadyn Proctor (who is still plenty athletic for his size), as Iheanachor’s sub-5.0 speed in the 40 suggests plenty of ability to get out and run in Ben Johnson’s outside zone scheme.
That said, if the Bears can’t feasibly get one of the stronger tackle prospects, it might not make sense to pass up a chance at someone like Parker, who’s an almost ideal fit on the defensive side of the ball, or an athletic 3-technique like Peter Woods. Forcing a pick at offensive tackle just for competition’s sake would feel like a reach.
But if the Bears think they can hit a home run at left tackle the way they did at right tackle with Darnell Wright, who just earned his first All-Pro nod last year, sign me up. Chicago will still have plenty of picks left to splurge on defense on Day 2 and beyond, after all.
If you’re making me choose between sacks/stopping the run and protecting Caleb Williams, I’m picking Caleb every time.