2026 NFL Mock Draft: Chicago Bears choose edge defender

Q: Who is Zion Young and why is he a top pick for the Bears in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Zion Young is an edge defender from Missouri, recognized for his strong performance in college, making him a valuable asset for the Bears in the upcoming draft.

Q: What was the Chicago Bears' record in the 2025 NFL season?

The Chicago Bears finished the 2025 NFL season with an 11-6 record and won the NFC North division title.

Q: How did the hiring of Ben Johnson impact the Chicago Bears in 2025?

Ben Johnson's hiring provided a significant boost to the Bears, leading to improved team performance and a playoff win against the Packers.

Q: What are the concerns regarding Caleb Williams' performance as the Bears' quarterback?

While Caleb Williams had a solid rookie season, some fans are questioning his fit in Ben Johnson's offense compared to the strong performances of other rookie quarterbacks like Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye.

COLUMBIA, MO - NOVEMBER 08: Missouri Tigers defensive end Zion Young (9) in the first quarter of an SEC football game between the Texas A&M Aggies and Missouri Tigers on November 8, 2025 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri

The 2025 Bears – What went right and what didn’t

Expectations were higher for the 2025 Bears, and they didn’t disappoint en route to an 11-6 record, an NFC North division title, and a playoff win over the rival Packers. The hiring of Ben Johnson from division rival Detroit provided an instant jolt of energy, especially juxtaposed against their milquetoast previous head coaches in Matt Eberflus and Matt Nagy. The most important question that needed answering was whether 2024 number one overall pick Caleb Williams would be a fit in Johnson’s high-flying offense. After just one year, it was too soon for Williams to be talked about as a bust, but strong rookie seasons from Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye had some Bears fans wondering if they had taken the wrong quarterback.

Williams, backed by an exciting lineup of playmakers at the skill positions, answered all the questions, throwing for nearly 4000 yards while also placing in the top 10 in the NFL in passing TDs with 27, making people forget about Daniels as he suffered through an injury-riddled season in an inconsistent offense. This was set up by the moves the Bears made in the 2025 offseason aimed at bolstering the offensive line, trading for both Jonah Jackson (from LAR) and Joe Thuney (from KC). Thuney would go on to win the inaugural Protector of the Year award for offensive lineman.

D’Andre Swift rebounded from a disappointing first season with Chicago to break 1,000 yards rushing and established a career high in touchdowns. DJ Moore emerged as the de facto WR1, and the team got strong contributions from second-year man Rome Odunze early in the year and upstart rookie Luther Burden III in the second half, with Olamide Zaccheus chipping in with some clutch plays as well. Tight end also looks to be in great shape, with longest-tenured Bear Cole Kmet coming back and Colston Loveland looking to build on his highly successful rookie season where he was ranked as PFF’s highest graded rookie and number two tight end overall.

This Chicago team also developed a knack for pulling off improbable victories under incredibly difficult conditions, earning the nickname the “Cardiac Bears” with a number of comebacks and last-second wins, often spearheaded by Williams’ fearlessness coupled with some genuinely insane throws. The team was expected to improve, but the ability to consistently win these types of games placed the Bears well ahead of schedule. However, the reason they were in these types of games so often was because the other side of the ball featured one of the worst defenses in football.

The Bears ranked 29th in total defense in DC Dennis Allen’s first year, allowing 361.8 yards per game with only 35 sacks and 29th in pass-rush rate. They tried to address this prior to the 2025 season, signing edge Dayo Odeyingbo to a 3 year, $48 million deal after recording 16 sacks in the previous 3 seasons with the Colts. Odeyingbo did not come close to living up to his contract, with just 1 sack in 8 games before tearing his Achilles in week 8. He now looks like an overpay whose availability is uncertain moving forward. His replacement in the lineup, Dominique Robinson, only posted 1.5 sacks, allowing opposing offenses to focus on stopping the Bears’ one legitimate pass rusher in Montez Sweat, who still put up 10.5 sacks.

The run defense wasn’t much better, allowing 134.5 rushing yards per game, one of the worst marks in the league. They had numerous issues getting off the field on third down. Clearly, the defensive line has to be a focus of this offseason. Especially since the Bears excelled at forcing turnovers, masking many of their defensive shortcomings. Secondary coach/passing game coordinator (and Eagles legend) Al Harris looks to be a future defensive coordinator who helped lead the Bears to an NFL-best 33 turnovers and +21 turnover differential.

Offseason summary

The trade of WR DJ Moore to Buffalo in the highest profile move of the Bears’ offseason, unloading their leading receiver along with a 5th round pick for a 2026 2nd rounder. The trade is probably more notable from the Bills’ perspective as they try to find Josh Allen that elusive WR1 that he’s never had. But the impact will be felt in Chicago too. Odunze was inconsistent and sometimes invisible in long stretches of games. Burden, while looking extremely promising (especially if he evolves into the ARSB role in Johnson’s offense), is only in his second year. Zaccheus returned to the Falcons via free agency. Even if the young receivers, and Loveland by extension, take steps up, there is still the need for some veteran depth in the room, which may be why the Bears signed Lions receiver and return man Khalif Raymond.

The secondary, which had been the strength of the defense, took some hits with both veteran Kevin Byard and 2022 2nd round pick Jaquan Brisker exiting via free agency. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was released in a salary cap move after spending 3 years with Bears and leading the team in tackles in 2025 despite missing 4 games. Center Drew Dalman was a surprise retirement at age 27, leaving a big hole on an emerging unit. RB Roschon Johnson was jettisoned after an impressive rookie season from Kyle Monangai.

The Bears reacted to fill some of these holes left with signings and trades of their own. At safety, GM Ryan Poles brought in super bowl champion Coby Bryant from the Seahawks to a 3-year, $40 million deal. Devin Bush left Cleveland to sign a 3-year deal and will step into Edmunds’ role at LB. The Bears also quickly pivoted after Dalman’s retirement to trade for Garret Bradbury from New England, a player they should know quite well from his years in Minnesota. And they signed DT Neville Gallimore to a 2-year, $12 million contract to replace the departing and ineffective Andrew Billings. Gallimore joins a DT room that features improving 4th year player Gervon Dexter (6 sacks in 2025) and the returning Grady Jarrett. The Bears were also involved in Maxx Crosby trade talks and at one point were the Vegas favorites to land him.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the Bears promoted Press Taylor from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator following the departure of Johnson’s right-hand man, Declan Doyle. Given Taylor’s history and the drag he has placed on his head coaches, this situation bears monitoring, even with a coach as gifted as Johnson.

Positions of need going into the draft

Going into the draft, the focus should be on defense based on the 2025 performance and the way the offseason has unfolded thus far. In particular, edge rusher and defensive tackle are both positions of extreme need. Their big free agent DE from last year, Odeyingbo, does not look like the answer, and they’ve also cycled through a number of DT prospects in recent years without success. Safety is also still a position of need, even with the signing of Bryant, who is expected to be more of a chess piece than a “centerfield” safety.

Offensive tackle could also be a position they look at here, since LT Ozzy Trapillo is expected to miss most of the 2026 season with a ruptured patella tendon suffered in the playoff win over Green Bay. If the board falls that way, it would not be surprising to see a tackle as the pick, even with impressive 4th year RT Darnell Wright earning 2nd team All-Pro honors in 2025.

While their WR depth is thinner with the departures of Moore and Zaccheus, it seems unlikely they would use a first-round pick to address this if they believe strongly in Odunze and Burden. With Loveland expected to get an uptick in targets, they can address on days 2 and 3 of the draft or with a veteran later in free agency.

Ryan Poles first round draft history

Poles became GM of the Bears in 2022 and did not have a first-round pick that year. In the subsequent drafts, he used four top 10 picks to go all in on offense, starting with Wright in 2023 as a foundational OT (famously trading down with the Eagles in the deal that landed Jalen Carter), followed by WIlliams as the top overall pick in 2024, Odunze at pick 9 in 2025, and Loveland at 10 last year (also drafting Burden at pick 39).

In short, he’s stocked the offense, but perhaps at the expense of the defense. Of particular note, Poles has never drafted an edge rusher earlier than round 5. Every pass rusher he’s taken has been a Day 3 flier who has not panned out. That pattern feels like it will change this year given the needs on the line and the history of using first-round picks on offensive players.

The pick (and others who should be considered)

The way the board has fallen so far, any of the OT prospects the Bears might have considered have been picked already, capped off by 3 straight tackle picks from 22-24. So that makes the decision easier…but not easy.

There are a number of defensive prospects here, and the toughest call the Bears would have to make given this board would be whether to go for defensive line or safety, a veritable win-win given the needs of the team. Here are some of the prospects they should be considering at 25:

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo: DL is regarded as one of the deeper units in this draft, so perhaps the Bears could go for a safety in round one and try to address the line in the following rounds. This would be consistent with Poles’ draft record, but again, that strategy has proved ineffective.

In that scenario, the Bears would be selecting Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at pick 25, a tone-setting box enforcer who would immediately replace the physicality lost with the departures of Byard and Brisker, and who has been mocked to the Bears in a number of recent drafts, highlighting his fit with the team. McNeil-Warren may even be slightly underrated since he played his college ball at Toledo, but the Bears would have to look no further than Quinyon Mitchell’s success with the Eagles to quell any doubts about college competition. However, the signing of Bryant makes safety a lower priority than the line, where they still have no one opposite Montez Sweat.

Passing on McNeil-Warren, albeit painful, allows the Bears to put all their focus on the D-line where they will have their choice between some of the higher rated DTs and edge rushers in this draft. It’s less of a question of fit with McNeil-Warren as it is value/need.

Peter Woods, DT, Clemson: Woods had an up-and-down 2025 and hopes that teams will look more at his 2024 tape. He was pegged as a possible top 5 pick before the season but only showed flashes of that potential. Woods would fill a real hole, but interior defensive tackle is less scheme-critical than edge in Dennis Allen’s multiple front defense, which leans on its ends to set the edge and generate first and second down disruption. DT is a position where Day 2 value is more readily available than EDGE. Plus, Dexter has developed nicely and is eligible for an extension, which may lessen the need there

Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Michigan: Mesidor is another name that comes up frequently with teams looking for edge help. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein called him the “most skilled rusher in the class”. So why would the Bears pass on him here? First is his age. As a 6th year senior, Mesidor will be 25 at the start of the season. The Bears have consistently drafted young players with high ceilings under Poles, so Mesidor would not fit that mold. Then there is the question of fit. Chicago’s multiple front uses true 4-down defensive ends who can hold the edge in the run game before collapsing the pocket. Mesidor is more of a wide-9 specialist who thrives in obvious passing situations. He would not be an every-down player in this scheme, and certainly not the edge setter the Bears sorely lack on early downs.

With that in mind, the Chicago Bears, with the 25th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, select Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri.

About Zion Young

Zion Young came onto the national scene last year with Missouri, after spending his first two years at Michigan State. He saw limited playing time there over two seasons, starting just 11 of 20 games and recording a modest 47 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He was perhaps more (in)famous for being a part of the post-game tunnel confrontation with rival Michigan in 2022 when he was one of 8 Spartans to be charged with assault.

He transferred to Missouri after the 2023 season, and the next year, he started 13 games, compiling 42 tackles, 5.5 TFL, and 2.5 sacks while chipping in three pass breakups. He had a memorable fumble recovery against Oklahoma to give the Tigers the win late in the game.

His 2025 senior season was where everything clicked. Young dominated as Missouri’s starting end in defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s four-man front, earning Second Team All-SEC honors and finishing with 9 sacks, 4th in the SEC and 19th nationally. He added 9.5 TFL, two forced fumbles, and an interception. He entered the fall relatively unheralded and left it as a consensus first-round prospect. He followed that up with a strong performance at the Senior Bowl and had a top-30 visit with the Bears, among other teams.

How Young fits the Bears

Let’s look at Young’s profile on nfldraftbuzz.com:

Young’s tape at Missouri tells the story of a player whose impact on the game goes well beyond what the box score captures. The sack numbers spiked in 2025, sure, but what jumps off the film is the constant, grinding pressure he puts on quarterbacks and the tone he sets against the run. His 96% run defense grade from PFF is not a typo. He is legitimately one of the best edge setters in this entire draft class, and any defensive coordinator who values winning on early downs before worrying about third-and-long will see a player who fits right into their front.

The ideal landing spot is a 4-3 defense where he can operate as a strong-side end, pinning his ears back on obvious passing situations while being trusted to hold the point of attack on running downs. His length and hand technique allow him to win at the line of scrimmage without needing to be the fastest player off the ball, and his versatility to bump inside on sub packages or stand up in odd-front looks adds real value to a defense looking to create multiplicity up front. He’s not a one-trick speed rusher, and that’s actually what makes him interesting.

Chicago’s defensive scheme on first and second down asks its edges to set the edge hard, force ball carriers back inside, and keep linebackers clean, a run-first responsibility. This is Young’s strongest attribute right now.

PFF described Young similarly in their player profile, calling him one of the best run defenders in the class, with a growing pass rush toolbox.

Greg Cosell reviewed Young and was immediately struck by Young’s physical element as a “very, very long athlete”, describing his game as “built on power and physicality, block deconstruction in the run game, speed to power as a pass rusher”.

He also praised Young’s versatility, noting he lined up “from zero technique all the way outside to wide nine” and a player who “you can do a lot of things with”, a rare trait for a rookie that will work well with the Bears’ multifront scheme.

Montez Sweat could stand to be the biggest beneficiary of adding Young to the defense. Sweat is an elite, flexible speed rusher while Young is a power-first presence who wins with length, hands, and anchor. These are complementary styles, not redundant ones. Offensive coordinators will not be able to slide their protection one way to help against both simultaneously. Sweat’s speed rush forces the tackle to widen, which opens the B-gap for Young’s bull rush, and vice versa. The Eagles employ a similar dynamic with Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter, and the Rams with Byron Young and Jared Verse.

Where Young needs to improve

Most of the criticism around Young centers on two areas: athleticism and pass rush skills.

As far as athleticism goes, the core issue is bend, not speed. Young’s 6’6″ frame and long arms are assets in most situations, but taller edge rushers struggle to dip their hips and flatten around the corner against NFL tackles. Young can play upright at the point of attack more than you’d like, which reduces his leverage and limits his ability to turn the corner purely on athleticism. His Combine testing confirmed he’s a good but not elite athlete — functional enough to win with technique and power, but not someone who will simply run past blockers at the NFL level.

Young’s PFF 83 pass rush grade is good but not great for a first-round edge rusher. The underlying issue is move diversity; his primary weapon is a speed-to-power bull rush that leverages his 262-lb frame and long arms to overwhelm tackles. It works consistently in college, but the concern is that NFL offensive tackles, who are longer, stronger, and better coached, will diagnose and anchor against that single move, forcing Young to win with counters he hasn’t yet fully developed. Even Cosell had to caveat his evaluation of Young with “I’m not sure he’s a pure pass rusher, but I think he could develop into becoming a better one”.

One final note: In December 2025, Young was booked for driving while intoxicated. While he played in Missouri’s bowl game weeks later, the arrest raised new questions about maturity and decision-making, especially in light of the charges in Michigan three years earlier. The Bears passed on Jalen Carter, and you have to imagine off-field incidents played a large part in their evaluation. You wonder if Young’s issues would be enough to move him down their board. If that happened, I think they would pivot to McNeil-Warren and not another defensive lineman.

The bottom line

Zion Young is a high-floor, logical pick for the Chicago Bears that fills their biggest team need going into the draft.

Dennis Allen runs a multiple front defense, where the looks change depending on down, distance, and personnel. The critical requirement for edge defenders in this system is versatility, an area where Young separates himself from the pack. Young’s elite run defense, gap integrity, and stout anchor make him a natural Day 1 fit in that system as a run-stopping edge.

Given that Allen has a history of developing edge rushers, any pass rush limitations he has as a rookie should be coachable given his age, frame, and hand technique foundation. A player who is already an elite run defender with developing pass rush tools at 22 is exactly the profile teams invest first-round picks in.