Chicago Bears three-round mock draft

By: Josh Frey-Sam

I hate to admit it, but the Chicago Bears have done a nice job this off-season.

There’s a running joke over the last few years that the Bears are the NFL’s off-season champions. They’re notorious for making a few big splashes in the free agency and draft pool that inject hope into the fan base, only for it to all come crashing down when the real games begin.

This year feels different, though.

GM Ryan Poles did some solid leg work to upgrade this roster before and during free agency, most notably in the trenches. As Poles said in his recent press conference, the recent moves have “opened up the board” for the Bears entering the draft.

The Bears acquired guard Jonah Jackson in a trade with the Rams then went back to the market and added versatile lineman Joe Thuney in a deal with the Chiefs. They will line up at RG and LG, respectively.

The offensive line was already a night-and-day difference from the unit that struggled to protect Caleb Williams last season, but Poles wasn’t done there.

He signed Drew Dalman, the top center in free agency, to a three-year deal and then got to work on the defence. There, he made a couple more splashes by signing veteran DT Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingo, a young EDGE rusher formerly of the Indianapolis Colts.

Odeyingbo was actually my favourite EDGE prospect in the 2021 draft — dude has a motor and is incredibly athletic. He’s ready to take the next step.

That brings us to today’s exercise. The Bears still have some holes to fill in the draft but are primed to do so with four picks inside the top 100.

My thoughts: an upgrade at LT would be great, though far from our most pressing need. Same with a WR. A new RB would be great, especially with new head coach Ben Johnson’s background in Detroit. Depth and impact players on the OL, DL and in the secondary are also on my radar.

Again, it’s open.

I only picked for the Bears in this three-round mock. Picks for every other team were computer-selected.

10th overall: Tons of options here. I really wanted Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty here to give Johnson a workhorse to run his offence through, but the Jets took him at 7.

I wound up going with Texas CB Jahdae Barron, who is one of the best all-around football players in this draft. He adds versatility and depth to the secondary and could become a full-fledged starter next season with Kyler Gordon potentially hitting free agency in 2026.

39th overall: The Bears pick at 39 and 41, so keep an eye out for Poles to get aggressive and trade one of those picks to move up if they like someone. I decided to stick and pick Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson.

Henderson's game is built on speed. He’s absolutely electric in the open field and is a home-run threat anytime he touches the ball. Johnson had that in Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit, and he gets a similar weapon here.

41st overall: I can’t help but look for ways the Bears could replicate what Johnson had with the Lions. One of those things was a field stretcher in Jameson Willams.

Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel is the pick here. He’s going to have an immediate impact in the NFL. A crisp route runner who is dynamic with the ball in his hands.

72nd overall: We’ve filled some important holes at this point, and now I decided to look to build depth for the future. I went with Georgia guard Tate Ratledge, who is a future starter in the NFL.

Ratledge has plenty of experience from his time in college and could end up being a wise pick in the event Thuney or Jackson get hurt.

Gosh, I love mock drafting. Speaking of which, the second iteration of my full first-round mock will be Saturday’s newsletter.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh