The Chicago Bears have insisted for weeks that they are not focused on any single position going into the 2026 NFL draft. Their goal is to take the best player, even if that means taking a player at a position considered safe. That is how they ended up with Colston Loveland and Luther Burden last year. What remains uncertain is how they will approach the prospect pool this year. Assistant general manager Jeff King already stated the Bears are putting a high emphasis on players with football character. They want guys who are passionate about the game.
However, another comment from King might have just completely altered how people should be looking at the board ahead of Thursday night.
“The medical and the ortho grades drive a lot of the sound decisions we have to make.”
With so few words come so many implications. King just basically admitted that any player with a medical red flag in this class probably won’t be drafted by the Bears. That likely removes some pretty notable names from the list of potential options they had at #25.
- Florida DL Caleb Banks – multiple foot injuries since early 2025
- Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy – tore his ACL last year
- Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor – Surgery on both feet in 2023
- Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion – Just had his knee scoped
You can pretty much remove those guys from any consideration by the Bears. They’ve had enough problems with health setbacks after last season. The last thing they want is to add players with iffy backgrounds.
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The Chicago Bears aren’t in a position for such risks.
This roster isn’t at a point where it is largely settled and the team can afford to take a calculated swing. They have several needs up and down the depth chart. Talented and durable players are needed to help maintain some stability. After all, few teams lost more games to injury last year than the Bears. So many of their more prominent players missed extensive time with health issues. They are not about to test their luck on prospects who haven’t shown they can stay healthy in college. That might sound unfair, but it’s a sensible business decision.
Is there a chance some of those players will end up having great careers? Sure. Health is as much about luck as it is durability. That said, the typical outcome is that players who struggled staying healthy in college don’t get much better in the pros, where the game is more physical. Keep in mind this approach isn’t limited to just 1st round prospect. There will be others scattered throughout the class who likely won’t be on the Bears’ board this weekend. Another team will end up taking the risk.
One must not forget a key factor in this approach.
That is head coach Ben Johnson. He wants a violent, physical football team, and he proved that last year with his hard-hitting practices in training camp. For that, you need players who are capable of surviving the grind. More than a few saw that their bodies weren’t up to the task last year. The Chicago Bears know they must continue seeking guys who meet Johnson’s requirements. Those with medical red flags don’t. If nothing else, this certainly helps simplify their decision in the 1st round.
Right now, there is a seesaw battle among insiders over what the Bears will do. Some believe they are eager to land one of the potential offensive tackles in this class, finally solidifying their left tackle spot. Others believe they remain focused on grabbing a top edge rusher. So much depends on how the draft unfolds in front of them. There are likely to be more than a few surprises before they go on the clock. Maybe some of those medical risk players end up going earlier than expected.
