Latest intel could change the Bears’ first-round plans when it comes to targeting one of the top edge rushers in the 2026 NFL Draft
The Chicago Bears might have to use the No. 25 pick if they want to land UCF’s Malachi Lawrence.
If there’s one consensus among draft experts about the Chicago Bears’ first-round plans in the 2026 NFL Draft, it’s that the team is expected to use the No. 25 pick on a defensive player. Which would mark the first time the Bears selected a defensive player in Round 1 since drafting linebacker Roquan Smith eighth overall in 2018.
What defensive position the Bears target in the opening round is still up for debate. The latest mock draft tracker I complied showed that more experts are leaning toward the Bears selecting a top safety in the backend of the first-round or selecting one of the top edge rushers (Zion Young?).
In my latest mock draft earlier this week, I went the safety route with the 25th overall pick and then selected an edge rusher with the team’s first pick in the second-round. The edge rusher I selected was UCF’s Malachi Lawrence. However, latest draft intel could force the Bears to re-think Lawrence falling into the second-round as a possibility.
Dane Brugler ‘wouldn’t be shocked’ if Malachi Lawrence goes in the Top-25
“I’m to the point where I wouldn’t be shocked at all if [Malachi Lawrence] gets into that Top-30, Top-25,” NFL draft expert Dan Brugler said on The Athletic Football Show. “If you’re a believer in that explosiveness, which I think a lot of teams are, we’re in the second-half of the first-round now and that’s where I think things going to get a little interesting. Because there’s so many names, there’s like 30 names, in this mix. There’s just not a lot of difference between one and 30. So, if we see a guy like Malachi Lawrence as early as the Top-25, I don’t think I’d be shocked.”
Lawrence is an exciting prospect given his explosiveness, and that’s a trait the Bears are desperately missing off the edge. He’s also one of the few prospects expected to fall in that range that fit the traits defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is looking for in his edge rushers between size and length.
If the Bears have a high grade on Lawrence and worried about another team snatching him in the backend of the first-round, I could see Chicago pulling the trigger to land him at No. 25 and I wouldn’t not be opposed in the slightest for that decision.
If the Bears do go in that direction, Lawrence (or another top edge rusher) would be the team’s first edge rusher selected in the first-round since Shea McClellin in 2012. Given the free agency decisions, the Bears are signaling that edge rusher will be a big priority early in the draft and depending on how the board falls, Lawrence is now a legitimate option to consider at No. 25.
Chicago Bears News
Ben Johnson is taking the first real steps toward upgrading the Bears backfield after hosting an in-person visit with a 2026 draft prospect
Kentucky running back Seth McGowan met with the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
