Post Free Agency Edition

Now that the frenzied portion of free agency has passed, we have a better idea of what areas the Bears need to address in the draft. To me, there are two areas of need; safety and the pass rush.

The Bears added one safety in free agency, Coby Bryant, and I love the move. He’s versatile, he brings a combination of skill sets to the position. The Bears also brought back Elijah Hicks, but I highly doubt they’re planning on him to be the starter, meaning the Bears need another starting safety.

The Bears did little to address their defensive line, merely adding depth pieces in Neville Gallimore & Kentavius Street and also retaining Daniel Hardy. I figured this would be the Bears approach as they had limited cap space and free agency prices can be outrageous for those positions. It also helps that it’s a good draft for defensive lineman.

With all that being said, here’s my latest Bears mock draft:

Round 1, Pick #25

Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

This is the dream scenario for me. I honestly don’t think Woods lasts until #25, but Daniel Jeremiah mocked him to the Bears and there is no draft analyst I trust more than DJ.

Woods is a perfect fit for the Bears defense that wants to rely more on quickness, explosiveness and athleticism than sheer bulk. Woods is explosive and powerful. He is a force against the run and has flashed serious upside as a pass rusher.

If Woods is there at #25, he’s a no brainer, but I have my doubts as you’ll see in my full two round mock shortly. If Woods is gone, two names to consider are Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Missouri edge Zion Young.

Round 2

The Bears have the 57th pick, but I traded it to Jacksonville for picks #81, 100 & 164. The Bears currently don’t have a fifth or sixth round pick, so this gives me a fifth to go along with three third round picks.

Pick #60

Anthony Hill Jr, LB, Texas

The Bears brought back D’Marco Jackson and signed Devin Bush in free agency, so linebacker wasn’t a target for me. In fact, my targets here were Missouri edge Zion Young, LSU safety AJ Haulcy and Kansas State center Sam Hecht. All three were off the board at this point.

I looked at other edge rushers, safeties and other positions but I kept coming back to Hill. He was just too good to pass up. Hill will contribute as a rookie and be the long term replacement for TJ Edwards at “MIKE”.

Round 3, Pick #81

Jalon Kilgore, S, South Carolina

Versatility is the name of the game for the Bears new look secondary. Free agent signing Coby Bryant can play free or strong safety, Cam Lewis can play safety or nickel and Kyler Gordon can play nickel, boundary corner or safety. Add Kilgore to that group.

Kilgore is best as a box safety, playing the run and covering tight ends, but he can also play the free safety and nickel positions. He should slot into the second starting safety position alongside Bryant.

Round 3, Pick #89

Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan

Moore has the size and length Dennis Allen prefers in defensive ends. He’ll be a force as a pass rusher from day one, though he needs to improve as a run defender to earn a full time position on the Bears defensive line. This is fine, the Bears have good run defending edges, they need guys that can pressure the quarterback.

Round 3, Pick #100

Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State

Speed is what Thompson is all about. His slight frame means he won’t offer much in the middle of the field or in the run game, but he can blow the top off the defense.

The Bears receiving corps is lacking that true speed threat. Thompson will have a role in Ben Johnson’s offense.

Round 4, Pick #129

Jake Slaughter, C, Florida

Center became an area of concern for Bears fans with the surprise retirement of Drew Dalman. Ryan Poles acted quickly and traded for Garrett Bradbury instead of handing out big bucks in free agency. It was the right move, in my opinion.

While Bradbury is a serviceable replacement for Dalman, most recognize him as a stop gap. He is not the Bears long term answer at center. I feel like the Bears are going to look long and hard at the centers in the 2026 draft.

Kansas State’s Sam Hecht is the top center in the class, and the Bears have done some homework on him. They’ll probably need to be prepared to use a second rounder on him, if he’s there. Unfortunately, he was off the board when the Bears picked in this mock.

There are some other decent prospects in this class like Logan Jones from Iowa, Parker Brailsford from Alabama, Connor Lew from Auburn & Brian Parker II from Duke. However, Jake Slaughter is my clear number two.

Slaughter is intelligent and a leader, which a center needs to be. He’s a tad undersized, but so are the others and Slaughter is actually bigger than most. He also demonstrates significant power. Slaughter also offers versatility, as he has the ability to play guard, if necessary, something that the others I listed cannot do.

Slaughter might not threaten Bradbury’s hold on the starting center job, but he can certainly develop into the Bears long term answer at the position.

Round 5, Pick #164

Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia

Everette has good build and athleticism but he may lack the top end speed to become a starting cornerback in the NFL. He will add valuable depth to the secondary and should be a core special teams contributor.

Round 7, Pick #239

Isaiah Nwokobia, S, SMU

Nwokobia isn’t a great athlete, but he’s smart and physical and plays with an aggressive edge. He might never crack the starting lineup, but he’s valuable depth and should be a core special teamer.

Round 7, Pick #241

Riley Mahlman, OT, Wisconsin

Mahlman is a developmental offensive line prospect. He has good size, but shorter arms may necessitate a move inside. He isn’t an overly impressive athlete, but he’s a sound technician. He offers solid, if unspectacular, depth to the Bears offensive line.

Synopsis

This would be a decent draft haul for the Bears. As I said, Peter Woods is the perfect first round prospect for the Bears. He’ll immediately join the defensive tackle rotation and add some needed juice to the unit, taking on a bigger and bigger role as he becomes acclimated to the NFL.

Anthony Hill Jr was a surprise pick for me. I wasn’t targeting a linebacker and certainly not one that early, but he’s just too good to pass up. Depending on TJ Edwards availability to start the season, Hill could take over the “MIKE” position and never relinquish it.

Jalen Kilgore is the perfect safety prospect, outside the first round and early second round, for the Bears. He can be the thumper beside Coby Bryant but also has the versatility that Dennis Allen loves.

Derrick Moore offers serious juice as a pass rusher off the edge, something the Bears will welcome even if he’s a liability against the run at this point.

Brenen Thompson is a bit of a one dimensional receiver, but that dimension is huge. He’ll be the fastest player on the Bears and one of the fastest in the league.

Jake Slaughter should develop into the Bears eventual starting center.

I think the Bears got 3-4 eventual starters in this draft, two high end role players, two core special teams players and a developmental offensive lineman.