Bears could be impacted by Lions draft decision in first-round, with warning sent to Chicago

TL;DR

The Chicago Bears may face competition from the Detroit Lions for edge rusher Keldric Faulk in the 2026 NFL Draft. Both teams are targeting him, but the Lions hold the 17th pick, while the Bears have the 25th.

Key points

Bears and Lions targeting Keldric Faulk in the draft
Faulk is an edge rusher from Auburn
Lions hold the 17th pick, Bears have the 25th pick

Keldric FaulkBen JohnsonCaleb WilliamsChicago Bears

Bears could be impacted by Lions draft decision in first-round, with warning sent to Chicago originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions don't have identical needs, but there are a few players they could both target in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Bears have continued to put themselves in a very good position thanks to the front office and the emergence of Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Improving either side of the football will be a priority for this organization, but Detroit could be an issue in doing so. When examining what that means, it was recently proposed that both teams could be interested in Keldric Faulk, an edge rusher out of Auburn.

“Faulk figures to hear his name called in the first round; it's just a matter of when. The Bears are hoping they at least have the option to take him No. 25 overall. However, he's listed on both Chicago and Detroit's shortlist of targets on FanSided's Big Board — and the Lions hold the 17th pick…

"It sounds like there might be a race for Faulk's services, with a pair of division foes firmly in the mix. The Bears and Lions, among other clubs, can both greatly benefit from adding a high-profile prospect of his caliber. But at the end of the day, only one team will ultimately be able to claim him as theirs,” Lior Lampert wrote.

Considering the Lions have the higher pick, if that's the direction they want to go, there isn't much Chicago can do with its draft board. However, the Bears could also look to move up in this draft and take Faulk if they believe he would make an impact on the roster at the highest level in the near future.