B-
Chicago Bears
The Bears checked most of the boxes and earned a B-.
by Rob ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
The VJ Payne selection is the head-turner. The Bears reached 63 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered.
They will regret leaving cornerback for another day if the season turns on it. However the rest shakes out, Hecht at that price is a win they earned. The trade work was a quiet net positive.
Job largely done: edge rusher settled and 6 of 8 of the wish list covered.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but cornerback.
Pick-by-Pick
They jumped the gun on Akheem Mesidor, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They read the board right and Jacob Rodriguez was the payoff at pick 60. A need, and now a little less of one.
Mike Washington Jr. at Round 3, Pick 3 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No drama and no debate, Ted Hurst went about where he belonged in No. 89. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Mason Reiger in pick No. 95 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Sam Hecht at the Round 4 slot. The roster fit checks out.
They took DeMonte Capehart at par in pick 133, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
VJ Payne at the Round 4 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.