Chicago Bears and 'The Beast': What we can learn about potential draft targets

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And I’d like to see if teams can match some of the details he includes. On Christmas morning for draftniks, I like to read through Brugler’s reports and rankings with the Bears in mind. Here are five questions about the possibilities for Poles in the 2026 draft using The Beast as our guide. After three months of mock drafts (The Bears won the division this year! I wasn’t reading mock drafts in the fall), we have a good sense of popular selections at No. 25. Let’s now line those players up with Brugler’s rankings in The Beast. These are Brugler’s rankings, not the Bears’, but if they do reflect something close to what scouts envision, someone like Dillon Thieneman or Kadyn Proctor would come to the Bears at good value. These rankings also support the idea of maybe waiting until Day 2 to address the needs along the defensive line. Of course, this isn’t the definitive list of options in Round 1, but the names that have been prognosticated most often, starting with the top three. If any get to No. 25 and are the pick, Brugler’s rankings would approve. We haven’t seen a ton of cornerback discussion for the Bears in the first round, and three corners are ranked in the 20s. If Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy’s medicals check out, but he slips to 25 after missing the 2025 season with a torn ACL, add him to a potential target list. He has good size, is only 20 years old and is 14th in Brugler’s rankings. There’s a little self-fulfilling prophecy going on here, as Rodriguez was already a player who caught my attention after what the linebacker did at Texas Tech last season, so I was looking for Brugler’s report to confirm him as a “draft crush.” “Rodriguez has a very average size profile, but his athletic versatility has made him a more instinctive linebacker and helps him play decisively,” Brugler writes. “He should immediately compete for a starting role in the NFL.” Texas Tech’s “quarterback of the defense” should compete for a starting role right away. Red Raiders coaches called him the “quarterback of the defense,” and he finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting. Rodriguez forced 19 turnovers in his career. He’s Brugler’s 40th-ranked player overall, right between the Bears’ first two picks. While Rodriguez doesn’t have the size of Lions linebacker Jack Campbell, I thought about that draft pick when Ben Johnson was in Detroit, and they just went out and grabbed really good football players. That’s Rodriguez. For what it’s worth, one of his comps based on his athletic profile is Kwon Alexander, who spent two years with Dennis Allen with the New Orleans Saints. Right now, the Bears have their three linebackers for 2026: T.J. Edwards, Devin Bush and D’Marco Jackson, but that doesn’t mean Rodriguez — or any Day 2 linebacker — can’t compete for a job and, at a minimum, be the long-term starter of the future. Based on some of the draft picks in Johnson’s first year at Halas Hall, Rodriguez could fit simply because he was a sound, productive, high-character player in college. To borrow a word that former GM Ryan Pace used to describe the players the Bears would consider, Brugler’s rankings can give us an idea of players who could be in the “cloud” for the Bears’ two second-round picks (Nos. 57 and 60). Players ranked 50 to 70 include Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (No. 50), Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price (51), Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks (52), Miami safety Keionte Scott (53), Arizona cornerback Treydan Stukes (56), Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields (58), Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton (60), Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan (65), Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling (67), Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun (68) and LSU safety A.J. Haulcy (70). Any one of those players would probably be a good fit for the Bears. As we get to Day 2, positions like receiver and cornerback could be more in play. Brugler’s note on Stribling stood out: “Stribling isn’t the most well-rounded in terms of his route success, but he is a big-bodied athlete with strong ball skills and a pro mindset. He has the talent and competitive toughness to settle into a WR2/3 role for an NFL offense.” Not the most well-rounded route runner, but big-bodied with great hands and a pro mindset. “Pro mindset” figures to appeal to Johnson, and the offense could use another “big-bodied receiver,” especially for third down and the red zone. Fields also gets tabbed with the “big-bodied” receiver descriptor, and Brugler compares him to Michael Pittman Jr. Igbinosun checked in at 6-foot-2, 191 pounds at his pro day, a size that should catch Allen’s attention. If the Bears don’t take Thieneman or McNeil-Warren in Round 1, they’ll have solid safety options on Friday night. Here’s Brugler on Haulcy: “Haulcy has some wild tendencies. Given his recognition and range, though, teams will be comfortable betting on him to reach his ceiling as an NFL starter. Teams will also appreciate his coachability and intangibles, which will show on special teams.” The Bears aren’t going to take Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq in Round 1, but it’s worth noting that this is one of the deeper tight end classes when the head coach is so fond of two- and three-tight-end groupings. The Bears were seventh in the league in “12 personnel” usage and fifth in “13 personnel.” The first pick of the Johnson era was Colston Loveland, and based on one season, it was a home run. Cole Kmet is back, still with another year on his contract. Last year’s No. 3 tight end, Durham Smythe, signed with the Baltimore Ravens, so there’s a hole behind the top two. Brugler has 15 tight ends with at least a fifth-round grade. That number was 11 last year and only nine in 2024. Stanford’s Sam Roush “prides himself on trying to be the toughest and most physical player on the field,” Brugler writes. That’s a Johnson-approved quality. Roush has a third- to fourth-round grade. A traditional Y tight end; will do a blocker’s dirty work with underneath receiving upside. Right behind Roush is Ohio State’s Will Kacmarek, “a big, linear athlete with strong hands and the desired level of aggression as a point-of-attack blocker” who “can be one of the better blockers in this draft class.” The Bears are set at center for 2026 with Garrett Bradbury, a late pivot to replace the retired Drew Dalman. But this is a critical position for Johnson and Poles, and the team has hosted several centers on 30 visits — for whatever that’s worth — as they decide whether or not to try to find a center of the future. That would likely come on Day 2 or 3 of the draft. Brugler’s top-ranked center is Florida’s Jake Slaughter, whose athletic profile actually compares favorably to Dalman. “Slaughter doesn’t have overwhelming traits, but he consistently does his job using controlled movements, stout strength and veteran processing skills,” Brugler writes. “With his makeup, he should compete for starting center snaps as a rookie.” Kansas State’s Sam Hecht spent three seasons as a walk-on before becoming a starter for the Wildcats and first-team All-Big 12 as a senior. “Hecht is a wide-bodied blocker with outstanding instincts and play strength to cover up his man,” writes Brugler. One of the better athletes is Iowa’s Logan Jones, who fits Poles’ preference for being a bit lighter (299 pounds) while running a 4.90 40 with a 1.73-second 10-yard split, an important metric for offensive linemen. Brugler’s top strength for Jones is that he’s an “athletic mover; keeps his hips and feet on the same page.” A blocker with vise-grip hands and strong technique — but undersized. Oklahoma’s Febechi Nwaiwu started two games at center last season and also played there in high school. In Brugler’s report, there is a line from an NFL scout that Nwaiwu was the “strongest dude in that program.” He offers some positional versatility inside as well. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Kevin Fishbain is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Bears. Previously, he spent the 2013-16 seasons on the Bears beat for Shaw Media publications. After graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, he covered the NFL from 2010 to 2012 for Pro Football Weekly. Kevin was named the 2023 Illinois Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Follow Kevin on Twitter @kfishbain