Windy City Gridiron
As Bears training camp approaches, it’s natural to wonder how their roster fares compared to the rest of the league going into the 2026-27 NFL season. On paper, there are certain positions on Chicago’s roster that look stronger than others.
That’s obviously going to be the case for every team, but it remains to be seen if the Bears can maximize their strengths and negate their weaknesses to win the NFC North again this season. If they do so, it would be the first time Chicago has finished as division champions in back-to-back seasons since the 2005 and 2006 campaigns.
Much will change between now and the start of the 2027 NFL Draft. However, knowing what we know about the Bears’ roster and given my early preparations for next year’s class, I decided to whip up a new mock draft to both highlight a few areas of weakness on the roster, but most importantly, a few intriguing draft prospects I like so far in my evaluation process.
Using the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator, I simulated the picks for the remaining 31 NFL teams and made my own selections for the Bears. The draft order is based on Super Bowl odds and has Chicago picking at No. 16, which I think is higher than where they’ll end up selecting, but it helps the value I can get in this mock draft.
I’ve voiced my concerns about Chicago’s interior defensive line heading into 2026. It’s probably too late for them to do anything about that weakness now, but I anticipate defensive tackle to be an area of focus going into next offseason. Gervon Dexter hits free agency next offseason, and Grady Jarrett is a likely cap casualty based on his performance last year.
A Chicago native who was a five-star recruit out of St. Ignatius, Justin Scott is cited as having a 1.56 10-yard split coming out of high school, which would be in the 99th-percentile for defensive tackles. I like him best as a 3-technique, where his impressive get-off speed can see up shoot up the B-gap and ruin an offense’s gameplay. He rushes with good pad level, has ideal play strength taking blocks head-on, and his agility is much better than most 303-pound men. Scott’s gap awareness as a run defender needs work, and he only has two collegiate sacks in 27 games. He needs more development in terms of his counter arsenal and the aforementioned spatial awareness, but he has elite physical attributes and first-round potential if he takes the leap in 2026.
With D’Andre Swift slated to hit free agency next offseason, it’s tough to tell what the future has in store for the Bears’ current starting running back. He’s coming off a strong 2025 campaign, but he’ll be 28 years old in January, so a massive extension beyond another year or two feels unlikely.
Ahmad Hardy’s status for the 2026...
