The Chicago Bears have looked to undrafted free agency plenty of times over the years. While it rarely produces a massive hit, this approach can often yield capable backups or, at the very least, decent starters. The Bears have made good use of it over the past few years. Probably their biggest success story is Jack Sanborn. A standout linebacker at Wisconsin, he didn’t get any buzz leading up to the draft. However, the Bears liked him early on in the process, and he helped his case at their local pro day that year. Sure enough, they landed him as an undrafted rookie, and he quickly became a starter.

It might be happening again. While the Bears hosted several players at their local pro day this month, one name generated some smoke. That was Mac Uihlein. A 6’1″, 230 lbs linebacker, it’s not hard to see why he might’ve been overlooked going into this draft. He is somewhat undersized for his position and played for a struggling program. Still, that didn’t stop Uihlein from making an impact. Over two seasons as a starter, he gobbled up 185 tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, and four interceptions.

Uihlein mirrors what made Jack Sanborn good.

He may not have the ideal size or electric speed, but he has instincts for days and couples it with both toughness and strength. His leadership became apparent almost immediately, and he often worked hard to set the tone for his teammates on and off the field. Perhaps the biggest surprise was how good he is in coverage. For somebody who lacks speed, he always seems able to get his hands on the football. Guys like that find their way onto a roster. Sanborn proved it could be done. Uihlein is made of the same stuff.

He also grew up right in the Bears’ backyard. He was born in Lake Forest, the same location as Halas Hall. He’s been in close proximity to the franchise for decades. There is no question he would love the opportunity to play for his hometown team. The obvious question is whether he gets drafted. Right now, it looks like he’ll go the Sanborn route. His limited size and speed usually lead to going unselected. If that happens, one can imagine the Bears will be happy to bring him to training camp. They have depth concerns at linebacker. He would be allowed to compete for a spot.

It will be interesting to see what he can accomplish.

Players with his speed often don’t find their way onto the field. Not with how speed-obsessed today’s coaches are. It’s possible, but the climb will be difficult. In truth, Uihein’s best path to a true career will be special teams. He certainly has the intensity and intelligence for the job. He is unselfish and willing to do anything asked of him. If he carves out a role in the third phase, he would be a valuable addition to the team. GM Ryan Poles does have a knack for finding guys like him.

Ironically, he may arrive in Chicago at the same time Jack Sanborn returned to the organization. He spent a year in Dallas playing for Matt Eberflus before deciding he wanted to come home. At the very least, he will be a primary backup. Depending on what the Bears do in the draft, he’ll have a legitimate chance to claim a starting job.

Every year, there are a handful of draft prospects who might be called divisive. People have mixed opinions on them. In 2025, some of those names included left tackle Will Campbell (short arms), defensive end Shemar Stewart (very limited production), and edge rusher James Pearce (character concerns). Some teams will remove such players from their board. Others believe the talent they have warrants the risk of taking them in the 1st round. It sounds like the Chicago Bears might be involved with one such player this year. That is Auburn defensive lineman Keldric Faulk.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune revealed his belief that the Bears would take him 25th overall in the 1st round if Faulk falls to that spot. This would be a bold decision. Faulk only had 10 sacks in three college seasons. His overall impact as a pass rusher is inconsistent. Many aren’t comfortable betting such a high selection on what looks like a project. Biggs’ reasoning? It comes down to a simple reality. There aren’t many guys like him in this draft. Few players have his size (6’6″, 276 lbs), length (34 inches), power, and athleticism in one package. Players like that become stars if the light ever goes on, and he’s also a perfect fit for Dennis Allen’s defense.

Keldric Faulk would be a true roll of the dice.

His talent is obvious. There are moments where he overwhelms blockers with his sheer power and quickness. He can be moved around the line, hunting matchups. One thing nobody can dispute is his run defense. Faulk has a terrific anchor and can set the edge as well as anybody in this class. He is also only 20 years old. That is shockingly young for somebody with three years of college experience. This means there is a chance he has a chance to grow exponentially over the next couple of years.

At the very least, the Bears would be getting a stout run defender. Remember, their defense was 27th against the run last year. Shoring that up is a big priority. The real question is whether he can mold those athletic gifts into a proper arsenal of pass rush weapons. That falls at the feet of Allen and defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett. Allen is no stranger to developing young players. Trey Hendrickson and Carl Granderson were major success stories that the coach helped mold. If Faulk is willing to learn, the path ahead is realistic.

Allen has a bad habit of chasing ghosts.

He worked with Cameron Jordan for ten years in New Orleans. The Saints legend is the absolute pinnacle of what Allen covets: big, long, powerful, and a dangerous pass rush. For years, Allen kept trying to find the next Jordan. It was Marcus Davenport in 2018. It was Payton Turner in 2021. Then, in 2023, it was Isaiah Foskey. All of them proved to be major disappointments. Then he uses the same strategy with Dayo Odeyingbo in Chicago, only to be met with poor results again.

It might not be a coincidence that the best pass rushers ever drafted under his watch didn’t fit his profile. Von Miller, Khalil Mack, and Trey Hendrickson were definitely not built like Keldric Faulk is. Yet the reality is that if the Bears give Allen a serious say in that 25th pick, no player screams his type more. The only lingering question is whether he will be available. Some think he’s too talented to go that late in the 1st round. We’re about to find out how many other teams are willing to take the risk.

While the Chicago Bears‘ draft prep is a collaborative effort between the front office and coaching staff, many feel that in a decisive moment, head coach Ben Johnson would have the final say. It wasn’t difficult to notice the shift in how the team operated after he came on board last year. The heavy focus on offense aside, the Bears seemed to care more about acquiring the best possible players than about pressing team needs. There is no reason to think that will change this year. The hard part is determining which players Johnson will have circled on his board.

ESPN analyst Matt Bowen provided an unexpected assist. He did a fascinating article covering 100 different superlatives spread across all positions, determining which players in this class are best at specific things. Like any coach, Johnson has certain priorities for what he wants in his players. After reading the article, four names immediately stood out as obvious targets. Two of them are wide receivers, and the other two are offensive linemen. The reasons for them cracking the list aren’t what you think.

Ben Johnson is specific about what he likes best.

Best after the catch: Skyler Bell, UConn

Bell had 833 yards after the catch in 2025, the second most in the FBS behind Miami’s Malachi Toney. Bell has the 4.4 speed, short-area acceleration and open-field vision to turn underneath throws and in-breakers into big gains.

Best perimeter blocking receiver: Makai Lemon, USC

Lemon plays with an NFL mentality as a run blocker, and he’s willing to mix it up between the numbers versus safeties and linebackers. Lemon didn’t have a blown block on 274 blocking reps in 2025.

Best OL handwork: Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech

Rutledge is quick to punch in pass protection, delivering strong, on-point strikes to slow down opposing rushers. He’s a technician with toughness and nastiness from the interior.

Most instinctive OL: Logan Jones, Iowa

Jones is steady in pass protection and had experience in a multiple-run scheme at Iowa. He has the field awareness to identify pressure and late movement to anchor the offensive front.

Johnson has told us what he likes through words and actions.

It was evident, dating back to his time in Detroit, that he wanted wide receivers who could do two things: block on the perimeter and make plays after the catch. You saw that with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, then again with Luther Burden. No block, no rock. That is why Lemon will absolutely be a consideration in the 1st round if he falls to #25. As for Bell, he also has sharp route-running skills in addition to his YAC ability, which will only enhance his appeal.

Then you shift to the offensive line. Ben Johnson doesn’t like projects. He prefers young players with strong technical skills and high intelligence. He’d be willing to live with maybe a lack of size or lack of elite athleticism if he knows they will always do the right thing on every snap. That is why the Bears traded for Joe Thuney last year and signed Drew Dalman. Both guys were technicians who operated with consistency. Both became Pro Bowlers. Rutledge and Jones fit those criteria, in addition to being football maniacs.

For the most part, these names will come up on day two.

Right now, Lemon is the only player listed above who is all but certain to go in the 1st round. He’s been slotted in that area since the pre-draft process began. Everybody else is sitting somewhere in the 2nd to 3rd range. The Bears have three picks in that window, meaning they could technically land all three if they’re lucky. Will it play out that way? Probably not, but it would not be a shock at all if at least one of them ends up in a Bears jersey before the start of day three.

Ben Johnson may not wish to tip the team’s hand ahead of this draft for obvious reasons. However, everybody has preferences. It is just the way things are. A head coach wants certain types of players. In his case, he wants receivers who are physical and offensive linemen who are smart. That might be oversimplifying it somewhat, but the basic outline is set. No doubt it’s the same for Dennis Allen on the defensive side. The trick will be finding good players who fit those parameters.

There are usually two types of teams that generate excitement going into an NFL draft. Mostly, it’s the teams that are picking in the top 10. Everybody wants to know where the most talented players in the draft end up going, particularly the quarterbacks. It is just the nature of the process. However, another type of team creates intrigue. It is the one that nobody knows what it will do. They can literally go in any direction, from the type of player picked to trading up or down. That seems to be the spot the Chicago Bears have found themselves, and it’s creating some excitement in the draft community.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic alluded to this in a discussion with Jarrett Payton of WGN. He believes that because of where the Bears sit in the 1st round, it is likely general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have reached the conclusion that this isn’t a good year to zero in on a specific position.

“You talk to fans, you might get a couple different answers about what they feel like is the top need,” Brugler said. “But I also think this is a draft where Poles might just look [and say,] let’s go best available. Let’s go with the guy that — because he’s looking at the 2027 roster, the 2028 roster — Let’s go with maybe a player that we didn’t expect to be here, and maybe it’s not an immediate need, but we feel like we’re making our team better by adding this to the mix.

“So, the Bears are really wide open.”

In other words, there is no way to know what the Bears will do. Even local insiders haven’t gotten a firm grasp on their intentions. That might be deliberate on the team’s part, hoping to create as much uncertainty as possible to throw other teams off the scent. In truth, it might just be because they have no idea how the board will fall.

The Chicago Bears aren’t able to focus on one or two positions.

The harsh reality is that despite their success in 2025, their roster is still incomplete. They have several positions in need of starters or upgrades before they can start being taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender. At the top of the list is left tackle, followed closely by edge rusher, defensive tackle, safety, and linebacker. This doesn’t mention the D.J. Moore void at wide receiver or the uncertainty at cornerback due to injuries last season. So you start to understand why the Bears are simply more interested in drafting good players at this stage.

It certainly worked out for them last year. Tight end and wide receiver were not at the top of the needs list last offseason. However, the Bears still chose Colston Loveland and Luther Burden because they were the best players available. Both became instant playmakers for the team. One would think the team has become more emboldened to use the same strategy this year. That means any assumptions being made about which position they target can’t go beyond speculation. That could terrify certain teams in the draft.

This entire discussion hinges on one factor.

That is where the Chicago Bears can trade down. The most consistent information SM has received in recent weeks is that the team would prefer moving out of the #25 spot and down the board. They aren’t afraid to jump out of the 1st round entirely. This would secure a couple of extra picks for them and put Poles in a spot he’s more comfortable with the player-value ratios. However, if the team is forced to stay put, the question becomes: which position likely offers the most talent with the least risk?

Based on what we’ve seen over recent weeks, it looks like that is offensive tackle. The Bears have paid close attention to every notable 1st round prospect in this class who could be available. They attended Kadyn Proctor’s pro day and have had private visits with Max Iheanachor and Caleb Lomu. You can’t ignore how left tackle, the most important position on offense that isn’t the quarterback, remains totally unsettled for Chicago. This may offer their best chance to fix it.