B-
Chicago Bears
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Bears a B-.
by Druneave3 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The Bears bet big and early on Brandon Cleveland, 86 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
The running back spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. That is an interior defensive lineman worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
Job largely done: edge rusher settled and 4 of 8 of the wish list covered.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 25 they get a bendy edge with upside, though they paid up to get him. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing A.J. Haulcy in slot 57. A minor itch, scratched.
Value said wait; Keylan Rutledge in pick 60 says they were not listening. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Domonique Orange is a better player than pick No. 89 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jalon Kilgore slipping to the 129th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Brandon Cleveland well ahead of where he belonged. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Charles Demmings in pick 241 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.