B
Chicago Bears
Larceny in the 129th pick lands the Bears a B, Thompson and all.
by Childrey ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it larceny. Brenen Thompson sat on the board until pick No. 129, and the Bears did not need to be asked twice. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
The cost of the Dennis-Sutton reach is exactly the players who went right after him. They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
They chose more darts over a bigger single swing.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 28 they get a pocket-collapsing interior rusher. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A real head-scratcher, Dani Dennis-Sutton in the Round 2 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jake Slaughter at pick 65 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Mike Washington Jr. is a better player than the 89th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They took Jalon Kilgore at par in the 106th pick, which is nothing to complain about. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Brenen Thompson in Round 4, Pick 29 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had Oscar Delp higher than slot 143, and the tight end fell to them anyway. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Bryce Boettcher slid further than he should have, and pick No. 189 is lovely value for the linebacker. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Cole Payton in Round 7, Pick 5 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid a round early for Eli Heidenreich in No. 241, more than the board wanted. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.