Bears Post-Free Agency 7-Round 2026 Mock Draft: Chicago has clear positions to target in April after a modest spending spree
The Chicago Bears are banking heavily on the draft class to get the team over the hump.
The first week of free agency for the Chicago Bears didn’t quite live up to the high expectations fans had for their team. No trade was made for Maxx Crosby, Trey Hendrickson remained in the AFC North, and nearly half of the Bears starting defense walked out of the door.
Instead of being big-spenders, the Bears were strategic in their approach while adding in eight outside players to fill various positions and re-signing eight of their own. It was a quiet process and after the first week, it’s clear this team is banking on the draft to get over the hump. So, let’s take a new look at how the team’s draft could play out.
Bears 7-Round Post-Free Agency Mock Draft
Round 1, pick 25: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
Chicago found one new starting safety after paying up early in free agency to acquire former Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl champ Coby Bryant. Bryant’s skillset fits either safety position and can allow Dennis Allen to get creative with how he schemes up the position.
However, the Bears elected not to pay Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker, meaning the Bears are still in need of another starter at the position. Insert Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, another versatile safety that can do whatever you ask of him while delivering some more hard-hitting downhill ability.
Round 2, pick 57: Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF
The Bears decided not to add an edge rusher in free agency, making this an even more important position of need early in the draft. It’s worth noting that general manager Ryan Poles said this is a deep EDGE class, which makes it worth waiting until Day 2 to acquire a new edge rusher.
I was torn between going with Gabe Jacas and Malachi Lawrence. Both players fit the desire physical traits for Allen’s type off the edge. Jacas was a more productive player in college but I felt like Lawrence was the more athletic prospect at the NFL Combine and best fits what Allen is ideally looking for based on his previous draft tendencies at the position.
Round 2, pick 60: Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma
Gracen Halton is another post-Combine riser and shows how important having this second selection in the second-round is for the Bears. Chicago sent a strong party down to the Oklahoma Pro Day on Thursday and got to get eyes on Halton for the first time since NFL Combine week.
He’s another player that fits the Allen-type on the interior and can be a eventual replacement for Grady Jarrett. Having an interior rotation with Jarrett, Halton, Gervon Dexter Sr., Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street would be really solid on paper.
Round 3, pick 89: Sam Hecht, C, Kansas State
The trade for Garrett Bradbury gave Chicago immediate relief following the sudden retirement of Drew Dalman, but Bradbury only has one year remaining on his current contract and is 30-years-old. I doubt the Bears look to extend him and instead look to draft his replacement to develop in 2026.
Sam Hecht is already a player the Bears got their eyes on down at the Kansas State Pro Day earlier in the week and is a strong fit for the kind of scheme head coach Ben Johnson runs. It’s worth using a Day 2 pick to make sure the future of that position is secured.
Round 4, pick 129: Kevin Coleman Jr., WR, Missouri
The Bears didn’t meet with many wide receivers at the NFL Combine, but one name they did speak with was Kevin Coleman Jr. who fittingly took over Luther Burden III’s role at Missouri. He can have the chance to do so again in Chicago while Burden replaces DJ Moore on the outside.
Coleman played 495 snaps out of the slot in 2025 and led the Tigers with 375 yards after catch. He can be even better than what Olamide Zaccheaus was while also having Kalif Raymond in the mix for 2026 as an offensive gadget and return specialist.
Round 7, pick 239: Marcus Allen, CB, UNC
In a ideal world, I see Poles trading down at some point earlier in the draft to acquire some picks in the fifth-sixth rounds to snag one of the cornerbacks in that range. For this mock, I wanted to avoid the trades and landed on a seventh-round corner in Marcus Allen.
After playing for Bill Belichick in 2025, Allen is ready for the NFL world and at 6-2 has the height that defensive backs coach Al Harris wants on the outside. Will he replace Nahshon Wright as a starting outside corner for Chicago, perhaps not, but he would be great depth to have in the room behind Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Zah Frazier.
Round 7, pick 241: Jalen Catalon, S, Missouri
The Bears need all of the depth they can get at the safety position, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see two get selected during April’s draft. Jalen Catalon is a player who could be on the board late in the draft due to his injury concerns and down season in 2025 at Missouri. He’s another physical downhill safety that even has great ball skills after recording 10 career interceptions. He can easily take over the Jonathan Owens role as a reserve safety with a potential role on special teams.
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