Fans have been trying for weeks to unravel the mystery of which direction the Chicago Bears will go in the 2026 NFL draft. Predicting exact players is almost impossible. That is especially true when the team is selecting at the bottom of the 1st round, where it’s unclear which players may or may not be available. All we can do is speculate on the most likely names that will be involved and who, among them, Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson would prefer.
In these cases, the smart idea isn’t to focus on specific players, but maybe specific positions. Everybody likes to say that the top 30 visits don’t at all determine who a team will draft. While that can be true to an extent, there has been a tell this entire time. Kyle Borgognoni of Fantasy Footballers ran some interesting numbers. He found that if an NFL team meets three or more players at a single position before the draft, the odds of selecting one in the top four rounds drastically increase to 80% or more.
Is the data backed up by recent Chicago Bears history?
I decided to dig into the information, looking across multiple years and all the top 30 visits confirmed before each draft. I then listed the first position targeted in each draft, followed by the number of visits the Bears had. The results were pretty telling.
| Top position drafted | Top 30 visits |
| 2025 – Tight end | 3 |
| 2024 – Quarterback | 1 |
| 2023 – Offensive tackle | 5 |
| 2022 – Cornerback | 1 |
| 2021 – Quarterback | 6 |
| 2020 – Tight end | 3 |
| 2019 – Running back | 6 |
| 2018 – Linebacker | 3 |
For the most part, Borgognoni’s theory holds true. In six of the last eight drafts, the Bears targeted a position with their first pick that saw them have three or more visits with key players from it. One exception was 2024, and reports have since revealed the team was dialed in on Caleb Williams pretty much from the moment they secured the #1 overall pick. The other was 2022, and it’s worth mentioning that only 14 names were revealed from that list, so there very well could’ve been two cornerbacks unaccounted for, including Kyler Gordon.
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The point is, we have a fairly reliable barometer for which way the Chicago Bears might be leaning going into the draft. So what happens if we apply it to the current list of 30 visits?
Current information is starting to form a picture.
Right now, the names reported to be at the Chicago Bears’ meetings so far are still trickling in. While not all of them will be revealed, we’re seeing certain positions stand out.
- Center – 3
- Defensive tackle – 2
- Edge rusher – 2
- Linebackers – 2
That paints a pretty clear picture. Based on the available data, it looks like the Bears are focused on two areas: the offensive line and the defensive front seven. This makes sense when you start putting the pieces together. Yes, the Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury, but he’s in his 30s and has just one year left on his contract. They signed two a couple of defensive tackles, but no starters. They lost two edge rushers and haven’t made a single addition in free agency. They did sign Devin Bush and Jack Sanborn at linebacker, but there are lingering rumors that they aren’t keen on another year of T.J. Edwards.
Put all of it together, and it’s a strong possibility we will see most, if not all, of those positions addressed in the first four rounds. It is only a matter of what order. Center is unlikely in the 1st round, given the general lack of premier talent. Linebacker is also out since it’s a non-premium position. That leaves defensive tackle and edge rusher as the two favorites to be the pick at #25 overall.
