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Surprising first-round pick lands with Bears in new 2026 NFL mock draft

The latest 2026 NFL mock draft sends the Bears a surprising first-round pick.

Published

5 months ago

July 5, 2025

Bryan Perez

Surprising first-round pick lands with Bears in new 2026 NFL mock draft (News)

Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

If there’s one position group on the Chicago Bears that appears to be an obvious strength entering the 2025 season, it’s cornerback.

Led by Jaylon Johnson, the Bears’ defensive backs include Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Terrell Smith, and rookie Zah Frazier. The top three corners — Johnson, Gordon, and Stevenson — will be around for the foreseeable future after Johnson and Gordon inked multi-year contract extensions, and Stevenson is entering Year 3 of his rookie contract.

General manager Ryan Poles should feel good about the secondary he’s assembled, which is why it’s bizarre that a new 2026 NFL mock draft from Pro Football Sports Network sends the Chicago Bears a cornerback in the first round.

In this new mock draft, the Bears land Colorado’s D.J. McKinney.

Finished scouting Colorado CB DJ McKinney and came away really impressed.

Innate feel for space and routes in zone
??Super quick trigger vs the run
Dependable open field tackler

Some room to clean up technique in press and add a little more mass. My CB2 so far pic.twitter.com/PXZA6i0A5K

— Jack Brentnall (@Jack_Brentnall) June 5, 2025

“The Chicago Bears upgraded their offense in a big way this offseason, but still have a few holes to fill on their defense, specifically in the secondary,” PFSN wrote. “Colorado’s DJ McKinney would be a great boundary addition to Chicago’s cornerback room alongside Jaylon Johnson. McKinney has great length at cornerback, and his 6’2?, 190-pound frame will allow him to play on the boundary at the next level. On top of his frame, he possesses great athletic ability and can be an effective corner in either a man or zone scheme.”

Sure, a reality exists in which an outside corner could suddenly become a need for the Bears’ defense. If Stevenson has another season where he proves untrustworthy, then Poles might decide to move on via a first-round pick. And, in that case, McKinney would make sense. He’s tall, long, and physical — he’d be a fantastic complement to Johnson.

But the Bears should already have that guy in Stevenson. They invested a second-round pick in him in 2023, and he’s already logged six interceptions over his first two seasons. He’s flashed the kind of upside that should have coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen excited enough to not think cornerback is a big roster need.

Things might look very different a few months from now, but at this point in the Chicago Bears’ roster construction, you won’t see many cornerbacks sent to them in early 2026 mock drafts.