The Chicago Bears shocked a lot of people in the 2025 NFL Season, as the team went 11-6 and made the playoffs, winning the NFC North in the process. Chicago nearly advanced to the NFC Championship Game as well and clearly have a bright future.
Ben Johnson was a slam-dunk of a hire, and Caleb Williams was definitely a more efficient player than he was during his rookie season in 2024. While there are many reasons for optimism going forward, the work has only just begun to take a leap forward in 2026.
However, if the Bears could come away with this haul in the 2026 NFL Draft, their odds at winning the NFC North again and perhaps even making a Super Bowl run would skyrocket.
Bears trade pick 25 and a 2027 1st-Round Pick to Las Vegas Raiders for DE Maxx Crosby
We're already getting into some major movement here, as Chicago trades pick 25 in 2026 and a first-round pick in 2027 to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby, an elite pass-rusher and someone who would fit like a glove along the Bears' defensive line.
It is not a mystery that the Bears need another pass-rusher and have to get better defending the run. Well, Crosby is quite literally great at everything and plays with a motor higher than 99% of NFL players. If Chicago could land Crosby for two first-round picks, I'd have a hard time believing
57. AJ Haulcy, S, LSU
With 10 career interceptions and 17 career defended passes, AJ Haulcy has a nose for the football and is a rather complete safety prospect. Even with trading for Maxx Crosby in this mock draft, the Bears still have two more picks inside the top-100. After adding the pass-rusher, Chicago addresses the secondary and snags a player who can contribute to the ball-hawking nature of the Bears backend.
89. Darrell Jackson Jr, DT, Florida State
Darrell Jackson Jr is 6-5 and over 330 pounds. He excels, right now, at stopping the run, and that's a huge piece of the puzzle on defense for Chicago. Not only did they improve the pass rush with Maxx Crosby earlier on in this mock draft, but the Bears double-down along the defensive line and snag someone who can help the Bears' defense get into some third-and-long situations, which is where NFL pass-rushers thrive.
Thus far, it's hard to argue with the first three decisions in this mock draft.