Three Post-Draft Overreactions: Ryan Poles is playing a dangerous game with the defensive line, Cole Kmet is on shaky ground

The Chicago Bears added seven new rookies during the 2026 NFL Draft and it’s safe to say the draft went totally against what anyone was expecting under GM Ryan Poles and HC Ben Johnson.

The 2026 NFL Draft is now behind us and this weekend did not go how anyone expected for the Chicago Bears in the second draft under the tandem of general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson.

The Bears added seven new rookies to the roster, and more being signed as UDFA’s, including four new defensive players.

However, the positions the Bears targeted, and didn’t target, will be something to watch as the team heads into the 2026 season and beyond. Let’s break down three immediate overreactions after seeing this draft class come together.

Ryan Poles is playing a dangerous game with the defensive line

Going into the draft, the Bears were heavily linked to multiple top pass rushers in the 2026 class. During the first-round, the Bears had to change course on those expected plans when Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman fell right into their laps.

However, the team continued to ignore the needs on the defensive front until the very last pick in the draft when Chicago selected defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg.

As things stand, the Bears are set to enter into the offseason with basically the same exact defensive front that recorded just 35 sacks last season. It’s a dangerous game to play, but Poles and Johnson continue to put faith in the players the team has. Meanwhile, the blame is being placed on coaching and the back seven, which was heavily improved.

"We're certainly going to coach better than what we did a year ago," Johnson explained. "It starts there. We've made a concerted effort with how we're going to get that done… [Montez] Sweat had one of his better years in the NFL, whether that shows up in the sack total or not. He's a very complete player, both run game and pass game. And you saw tremendous growth from [Austin] Booker when we were able to get him back as well. The combination of us being able to coach better and those guys taking the next step as part of this system, we've got some pretty good pieces to work with."

Cole Kmet is on shaky ground, not in 2026, but his future is definitely cloudy