Bears NFL Mock Draft: Miller, McDonald or Parker at No. 25?

Ryan Poles walks into Thursday’s NFL Draft with something he didn’t have in his first two years running the Chicago Bears: an actual roster to build around.

Gone are the days of pure reconstruction. The Bears own picks No. 25 in the first round and Nos. 57 and 60 in the second, and for the first time under Poles, those picks aren’t about plugging a collapsed foundation. They’re about targeting specific gaps in a team that can already play.

Left tackle. Defensive tackle. Defensive end. Those three positions sit at the top of the Bears’ board heading into the 2026 draft, according to people familiar with the team’s thinking. The front office has been quiet, which is standard practice this close to draft weekend, but the roster itself tells the story.

“We’re building something sustainable here,” a Bears spokesperson said, reflecting the message Halas Hall has sent throughout the offseason evaluation process.

Three players keep appearing in mock draft projections as the realistic options when pick No. 25 arrives. The Chicago Sun-Times names Blake Miller, Kayden McDonald, and T.J. Parker as the most likely Bears targets, with the final answer depending on how the first 24 picks shake out.

That’s not a small variable. A lot can change between pick 1 and pick 25.

The NFL’s official draft order shows Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza going first overall to the Raiders. Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese lands at No. 2 to the Jets. Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey slides to the Cardinals at three. From there, the Titans take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at four, the Giants grab Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa at five to protect Jaxson Dart, and the Commanders land USC wide receiver Makai Lemon at seven.

How many edge rushers and tackles get pulled off the board in the top 10 will determine what’s left when Chicago’s turn comes. If Parker, the pass rusher, is still sitting there at 25, the Bears get a potential starter who could immediately push for time opposite their current defensive end. If McDonald, a safety-linebacker hybrid who doesn’t fit a clean position label, is available, he addresses a secondary that’s lacked a physical presence in the middle. Miller, an offensive lineman, speaks directly to the left tackle hole that’s been on the priority list since the offseason started.

None of those three options is a reach at 25. That’s the part that makes this particular pick interesting.

The Bears don’t just need help up front. They’ve also identified starting safety, center depth, and bodies at cornerback and wide receiver as needs. But those positions aren’t likely to get addressed until the third round or beyond. Chicago’s first two picks, rounds one and two, are almost entirely about the line of scrimmage in both directions.

That’s a coherent strategy. It’s also a sign that Poles’ front office has matured considerably since he arrived. His early drafts were triage work, filling holes on a team that had been stripped of talent across multiple losing cycles. This draft feels different because the team’s situation actually is different.

Poles won’t say publicly which of the three players he wants. That’s intentional and predictable. Front offices don’t telegraph first-round preferences on the eve of the draft. What he has communicated across the offseason, in general terms, is that the Bears are done rebuilding and ready to compete. Pick 25 on Friday night is the first real test of whether that’s true.

The mock projections can shift. Players rise and fall in the final 48 hours before the draft begins. A team trading up in the teens can scramble the whole board. The Bears have picks to maneuver with if they choose, but nothing currently suggests Poles is planning to move out of that 25th slot.

Blake Miller, Kayden McDonald, T.J. Parker. One of those three names will likely be called from the podium when the Bears are on the clock. The answer depends on 24 decisions made by someone else first.