Windy City Gridiron
WCG’s lead draft analyst shares his early first-round prospects for Bears fans to keep an eye on.
The 2025 NFL regular season hasn’t kicked off yet, but it’s never too early to start preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft.
In the down period of the NFL offseason, I’ve spent time building out my big board for next year’s class. Early scouting provides additional context on how players have developed from year to year, and it helps me grow my board to be as big as it possibly can. I’m nearing 180 graded prospects as of this writing and hope to be at 200 before the season starts.
Of course, we don’t even know how the Bears’ own draft picks from 2025 will fare in the NFL yet. However, there are a couple of positions that stand out as needs on their roster going into the season.
Using some of the key positions of need on the Bears’ roster, I’ve singled out a few prospects who could generate first-round buzz for the 2026 NFL Draft. Please note that evaluations at this stage are incredibly fluid, but here’s what I’m going off of right now.
I’m pretty impressed with the edge rusher value in the 2026 draft, as I have three edge defenders in my top 12 currently. There’s a drop off from there, but I like a handful of Day 2 guys who could rise up boards with a strong season.
TJ Parker is my top edge rusher currently. I think he’s the perfect blend of size (6’3” and 265 pounds), quickness, power and pass-rushing intelligence. If he works on his center of gravity a little bit more, he could become a Pro Bowl talent. He’s an extremely well-rounded EDGE who rushes with a high motor on a down-by-down basis.
Rueben Bain Jr. isn’t too far behind him. While I think Parker is the better athlete, Bain is more powerful and offers more inside-outside versatility. He’s a sturdy, lengthy run defender who can set the edge well, he has polished hands, and he also packs a nice punch at the point of attack. His short-area quickness is very good, even if his long speed is average.
My final true first-round grade in the EDGE group belongs to Keldric Faulk. He’s a monster of a man at 6’6” and 288 pounds, and that power helps him convert speed to power and hold up blocks in run support. He has good spatial awareness on stunts and is a better athlete than most his size. Though he lacks ideal bend, he could be a stellar 4-3 strong-side end.
The remaining guys are fringe first-rounders for me. Matayo Uiagalelei is a high-floor prospect with heavy hands and a high pass-rushing IQ. Anto Saka and Cashius Howell are two breakout candidates who...
