Chicago Bears NFL Draft Preview: Dark horse first-round candidates who could be in play with the 25th overall pick
The 2026 NFL Draft is going to be unpredictable when the first-round kicks off later this week and the Chicago Bears are one of the teams that can throw a curveball by targeting one of these five surprise prospects.
Welcome to Draft Week. The 2026 NFL Draft will kick off starting on Thursday with the first-round selections and the Chicago Bears remain one of the biggest mysteries in what could be a highly unpredictable first 32 picks.
Chicago’s best player available approach has kept all options on the table when it comes to the 25th overall pick, even though experts seem to believe the Bears will target a top defensive lineman, offensive tackle, or safety.
Truthfully, we have absolutely no idea what general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have up their sleeves for Thursday night. So, let’s throw out five dark horse names the Bears could target with their first-round pick that would be a surprise move.
5. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Jacob Rodriguez has plenty of fans around the league coming off an impressive 2025 season and an even more impressive pre-draft process. Will it be enough to warrant a first-round pick? To me, it wouldn’t be a shock to hear his name called on opening night.
The shock here would be Chicago making that move. The Bears already made three additions to the LB room this offseason in Devin Bush, D’Marco Jackson (re-signed), and Jack Sanborn while already having T.J. Edwards and Ruben Hyppolite II. However, Rodriguez is an amazing player and could be the QB of this defense. If the Bears are seriously considering any position with the BPA approach, he needs to be mentioned.
4. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
Given the position and the fact that Caleb Lomu met with Chicago late in the pre-draft process, this wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Lomu is also a prospect multiple teams are considering in the backend of the first-round including the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. Yet, I would still be surprised if his name is called a pick No. 25.
The majority of that is due to the fact that I don’t view left tackle as an immediate need as most people, even after Johnson’s comments. The Bears have three capable 2026 options in Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills Jr., and Theo Benedet to hold down the spot until the staff can get a firm look at Ozzy Trapilo post-injury. If Kadyn Proctor somehow falls to the Bears’ pick, I could see it. But, with Lomu, it would be surprising given he’s more upside than anything and faced subpar competition in college.
3. Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
If the Bears really want to throw people off in the first-round, outside cornerback is a position to watch. Chicago already has large contracts tied up with two cornerbacks in Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon with an open spot up for grabs at the other outside position. The Bears can fully eliminate any concerns there by snagging a top CB.
Chris Johnson has rapidly risen up draft boards and now viewed as the CB2/3 depending on how you rank him and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy. Johnson is super instinctive and showcases CB1 traits both in man and zone. However, he has his limitations against the run and against bigger-bodied wide receivers.
2. Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona
Treydan Stukes is generating more first-round buzz the closer we get to Draft Day and it’s all warranted. Stukes is a super versatile player that can play big-nickel or deep safety for any scheme. He has it all between his versatility, ball skills, and overall athleticism. Teams might honestly have him ranked higher than Emmanuel McNeil-Warren as the S3.
The Bears have an obvious need at the safety position to replace Jaquan Brisker after signing Coby Bryant to replace Kevin Byard III. Stukes can play that hybrid role in Dennis Allen’s scheme and be another chess piece in the secondary.
1. Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
Another cornerback name to watch, and REALLY keep in mind is Colton Hood. As much as I like Chris Johnson, Hood is the one that would be the top dark horse for Chicago. Hood is a scrappy player that embraces press-man duties with the ability to operate on an island and a reliable tackler on the outside.
Having him on the outside, Gordon in the slot, and Johnson shadowing opposing No. 1 wide receivers would give Chicago easily the best CB trio in the league.
