BEARS SQUAD SHOW: Final NFL DRAFT PREVIEW! What will Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears do??

The Chicago Bears are poised to make a pivotal first-round pick at No. 25 in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Locked On Bears team agrees: a trade-up is unlikely. Instead, they expect Ryan Poles to stay put, prioritizing future draft capital over a high-priced move. The consensus leans toward a defensive player—specifically defensive tackle Peter Woods, edge rusher TJ Parker, or cornerback Colton Hood—each seen as a strong fit for Dennis Allen’s scheme. While concerns about Clemson’s overall defensive decline in 2025 raise questions about production consistency, the hosts believe Poles could justify the pick by pointing to 2024 film and long-term development potential, echoing past moves like Javon Dexter. Meanwhile, Darnell Wright’s fifth-year option has been picked up, setting the stage for a major contract extension likely worth $25–28 million per year. The Bears are expected to structure it flexibly to manage cap space, with urgency driven more by player development than draft outcomes. The team’s focus remains on building around Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson, who both showed maturity and relentless drive in offseason pressers—proof of a culture shift. The Bears dodged a bullet by not pursuing Dexter Lawrence, who went to the Bengals at No. 10, a trade deemed too expensive and strategically misaligned for Chicago’s long-term plan.