Peter Schrager Just Confirmed What Many Bears Fans Feared About Pick No. 25
The Chicago Bears have completed most of their preparations for the 2026 NFL draft. Pro days are all but over. Private meetings are being finished up. Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson will now work with the scouting department and coaching staff to set the team’s draft board. Since they hold the 25th overall pick in the 1st round, it will be a long wait. Many things could happen in those first 24 selections and the Bears must be prepared for anything. That said, it’s reasonable to assume they have a plan of action for what they want to do. ESPN insider Peter Schrager has a good idea of what that will be.
He released his first mock draft of the year, filled with picks based on what he’s hearing around the league. That is what made his selection for the Bears so fascinating.
“What follows is my first mock draft for the 2026 class. These 32 projections are based on what I’m hearing, rather than what I would personally do at each slot. Nothing is set in stone quite yet, which is why I’ll have a second mock draft in two weeks. But for now, this is my best guess for how things could play out…
…25. Chicago Bears
Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Proctor is a mass of humanity. He weighed in at 358 pounds at his pro day — but he can move. If he keeps his weight down, Proctor has as much upside as any tackle in this class. And frankly, I think he is going earlier than No. 25. But with Ozzy Trapilo out and Braxton Jones’ uneven play, Chicago would be happy with this outcome.”
Left tackle has been a position hovering in the background for some time, even as fans push for the team to focus on helping the defense. Ozzy Trapilo, their hopeful long-term solution, tore his patellar tendon in the playoffs. That leaves the team with no clear answers, both this coming season and beyond. If you thought Schrager was merely listing Proctor as the target, think again. In a dual mock draft with Daniel Jeremiah, he went with the same position again.
Peter Schrager has good information.
He was correct about several picks last year. Not just about which position a team would target at given spots, but the exact players, too.
- #1 – Cam Ward to TEN
- #2 – Travis Hunter
- #3 – Abdul Carter to NYG
- #4 – Will Campbell to NE
- #10 – Colston Loveland
- #12 – Tyler Booker to DAL
- #18 – Grey Zabel to SEA
- #23 – Matthew Golden to GB
- NYG trade up for Jaxson Dart
As with all things, nobody is 100% accurate, but this should tell you that he is reasonably confident that the Bears are leaning left tackle at #25. It isn’t a huge surprise. The Trapilo injury was devastating. Braxton Jones and Jedrick Wills are bridge options at best. There is still no clarity at one of the most important positions in the sport. Poles and Johnson may wish to just lock it down once and for all.
There is also the fact that several projections show more left tackle options being available at #25 than most of the preferred defensive ones. It’s likely that at least five edge rushers will be gone by that point, along with two top safeties, and three or four top cornerbacks. The defensive tackles are weak this year and the Bears aren’t likely to take a linebacker that early. This means they need to hope one of the top defenders falls or they must shift to offensive options.
The Bears have said they won’t be prisoners to need.
They will take the best player on their board, even if said player might not be the highest priority. That is how they ended up with Loveland and Luther Burden last year. It worked out pretty well. The same will be true later this month. It is possible the Bears feel their defensive options won’t be all that great at #25. There are even whispers that they prefer to trade down. However, that could be difficult to pull off with the lack of quarterback options in this class. In cases like this, the smart thing to do is target the strongest position.
Experts believe there are seven offensive tackles in this class worthy of going in the 1st round. Proctor and Lomu are two of them. Monroe Freeling, Max Iheanachor, and Blake Miller are others who could be on the Bears’ radar. Peter Schrager has good reasons to project this outcome. The need is obvious, and the board stands a good chance of falling that way. Don’t forget Johnson has significant personnel authority. He may wish to get that position fixed once and for all.