Bears Mailbag: Will Chicago Draft a Defensive Player in the First Round?
The Chicago Bears will have several top-end prospects to choose from when they are on the clock with the 25th overall pick. Will the Bears choose to address the defense or go offense in round one?
Video Transcript
Something that I'm gonna start doing here at Bears Roundtable is incorporating some fan questions into the weekly content that you'll see on the website.
Here's this first question for you submitted by AG on X.
"Bears have not drafted a defensive player in the first round since 2016," I'll get that in a second, "Leonard Floyd.
does the drought continue this year?
If not, what position will the Bears target?"
So real quick correction here, the Bears actually did draft a defensive player in 2018 in Roquan Smith, but I think where you're going with this question is the Bears haven't drafted an edge rusher in the first round since 2016 in Leonard Floyd, and that's absolutely true.
So to answer the first part of your question, does the drought continue this year, I don't think it does.
I think Ryan Poles, this Bears staff looks at their big board, sees who's gonna be available at pick number 25, and they do end up picking a defensive player.
Not because of a necessity or need, because I don't think Ryan Poles is going to do that, just the crop of players that I believe are gonna be there at pick 25 just so happen to correlate with what the Bears will need.
guys that I would expect to be there, Auburn edge, Kedrick Folk; Miami edge, Akeem Mesidor, who I personally really like for this Bears team given where, one, Chicago is at.
Their, their championship window is open.
You want someone that can contribute right now, I think Akeem Mesidor can do that.
Toledo safety, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, also that versatility factor that I think Dennis Allen wants in, in players that are gonna be a part of his defense this upcoming season, he fits that.
So those are just three examples, and there could be so much more that are available.
So w- the more I think about, well, how this first round can go, who's gonna be there, when the Bears are on the clock, who's the best available, I, I do happen to believe that it's going to be a defense player.
Now, the second part of your question, "If not, what position will the Bears t- target?"
The more and more I keep thinking about it, I th- I think offensive tackle, specifically that left tackle, is an option for Chicago.
You just gotta consider how important left tackle is to not only the Bears, but every single organization, to Caleb Williams.
And last season, that was a revolving door for the Bears.
Braxton Jones, Theo Bennett, Ozzy Trapillo, Joe Thuney against the Rams.
How many left tackles do you want playing in one season?
Ideally, it's the same guy, much like how the interior of the offensive line played for all of the season in 2025.
You want a stable dude.
And I get it, Ozzy Trapillo maybe was that vision.
You draft him in the second round for a reason out of Boston College, but the torn patellar tendon is a problem.
He's not gonna play for a majority of 2026, so I think the Bears' plans have to pivot.
And the Bears would be doing a disservice to themselves if they did not look at all options.
If they believe someone's better, someone's more of a long-term starter, has a higher upside than Trapillo does, th- I don't think they would hesitate to make that move.
But that is the position I think the Bears would target if they're not going a defensive player.
But like I said in the beginning, I, I Pick 25, the Bears stay there, that's gonna be an edge rusher.
That's gonna be a safety.
You know what?
Right now, I'd be a little shocked if it was interior defensive line, but a- again, it would also just build up the defensive line that struggled to stop the run, apply pressure on the quarterback, so it would make sense.
But I'd, I'd more so lean towards a safety versus an edge rusher versus a interior defensive lineman, but that's the answer to that question.
Make sure as you guys are going through and, you know, reading all the content at Bears Roundtable, you're submitting these questions.
Each and every week, I'll get on here, write up an article, and then answer them in a video version.
But I appreciate the question and look forward to answering more as we go through the rest of this 2026 NFL season.
