Key coaching staff connection makes Keldric Faulk an even more compelling option for the Chicago Bears in the first-round
The Chicago Bears have been linked to multiple top defensive ends in the 2026 NFL Draft and the most controversial option has easily been Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, and a key coaching staff connection could come into play.
The 2026 NFL Draft will officially begin tomorrow evening with the start of the first-round. The Chicago Bears, armed with the 25th overall pick on Thursday, remain an intriguing team to watch.
Assistant general manager Jeff King shared some final thoughts on the draft with reporters on Tuesday laying out the kind of traits the team is looking to add in the first-round, and throughout the rest of the draft.
When it comes to the 25th overall pick, specifically, the Bears are keeping all options on the table. However, draft experts continue to link Chicago to top defensive lineman in the class. The most controversial option has easily been Auburn’s Keldric Faulk. One key connection could sway Chicago’s first-round decision when it comes to the former Tigers edge rusher.
Bears DL coach Jeremy Garrett used to be the position coach for Keldric Faulk at Auburn
Prior to joining the Bears, defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett served in the same role for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2025 and the same role at Auburn in 2023. Credit to Kirsten Tanis and Gary Ross for being this information back to light ahead of the draft.
That means Garrett not only overlapped with Faulk at Auburn, but even coached Faulk’s position with the Tigers. That season in 2023, Faulk had just 1.0 sack as a freshman but was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
What to make of Keldric Faulk’s obvious production concerns heading into the draft
When it comes to Faulk, the biggest red flag is the lack of production. In three years, Faulk totaled just 10 sacks off the edge for the Tigers, a low number you’d expect to see from a potential first-round pick. That concern has really swayed the reaction of fans whenever Faulk is mentioned, yet he continues to be linked to teams ahead of Chicago.
NFL front offices, coaching staffs, and scouts are going to look beyond those sack numbers when it comes to Faulk. The intrigue is that he’s 20-years-old and has the exciting traits worth betting on in the first-round. He was also a vocal leader at Auburn and praised by his coaches for his maturity an character, something that holds weight in the eyes of head coach Ben Johnson.
He comes with a clear risk, but there will be a team in the first-round that will bet on this guy tomorrow. If he’s on the board when the Bears are on the clock, they should really consider being the team that makes the gamble.
