B
Chicago Bears
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Bears a B.
by Hattrick15 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 7 steals
· 7 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Eric O'Neill at Round 6, Pick 17 is 61 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took McNeil-Warren. The quarterback hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Edge rusher is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 32nd pick they get the heartbeat of the defense, and a steal at that.
The board fumbled Akheem Mesidor all the way to the Round 2 slot, and they scooped it up. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They will replay Emmanuel Pregnon at the 68th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at slot 89 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They paid sticker price for Ja'Kobi Lane in No. 96, and that is fine. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They barely believed it either: Sam Hecht still on the board at pick No. 120. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jude Bowry at the 125th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached a country mile for Kaytron Allen at No. 129, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A real head-scratcher, Max Llewellyn in the Round 4 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Tim Keenan III at slot 137 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They read the board right and Parker Brailsford was the payoff at pick 143. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Isaiah World at pick No. 160 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. It fills a real need, too.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Zane Durant in Round 6, Pick 1. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Domani Jackson in the 183rd pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Patrick Payton at pick No. 191 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Eric O'Neill at the Round 6 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board had cheaper options than Aiden Fisher at No. 220, and it noticed. The roster fit checks out.
Fair-plus on Lander Barton, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They did well to land Andre Fuller in slot 241, just ahead of his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value said wait; Jack Velling in pick 255 says they were not listening. It adds depth where they could use a little.