The Chicago Bears are no longer drafting from desperation. And that might be the most dangerous thing about them.
In Pro Football Focusā postāSuper Bowl mock draft, the Bears are projected to select Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald with the No. 25 overall pick. On the surface, itās not a flashy move. No sizzle. No jersey-selling buzz.
But look closer, and it feels unavoidable.
Chicagoās 2025 season proved the rebuild is real. The Bears won, competed, and belonged. Yet beneath the wins sat a quiet issue that never fully went away ā early-down run defense.
PFFās Max Chadwick didnāt sugarcoat it. The Bearsā interior defensive line earned a pedestrian 60.0 overall grade last season, a number that explains why Dennis Allenās defense too often found itself behind the chains before drives even developed.
Thatās where McDonald enters the conversation.
The Ohio State product wasnāt just good in 2025 ā he was dominant in a way that rarely shows up on highlight reels. McDonald led all FBS interior defenders with a 91.2 run-defense grade and posted an 86.5 overall mark, the best among Power Four interior linemen.
Thatās not noise. Thatās control.
Chicago invested in the defensive tackle position in recent years, but the results were uneven. Grady Jarrett provided leadership and moments, not consistency. Too many rushing attacks dictated tempo against the Bears, forcing linebackers into traffic and opening play-action windows behind them.
Those cracks donāt show up until January.
The Bearsā success pushed them out of the blue-chip zone in the draft ā and thatās a good thing. For years, Chicago added top-10 talent to rosters that couldnāt support it. Now, theyāre drafting late because the foundation exists.
Late first rounds are where teams either get greedy ā or get honest.
Run-stopping defensive tackles traditionally hold value in this range, and McDonald fits that mold perfectly. Heās not a gamble. Heās not a projection. He wins one-on-one, holds his gap, and lets everyone else play faster.
That matters more than most fans want to admit.
Chicago doesnāt need another star to announce itself. It needs āboring beefā ā the kind that turns second-and-four into third-and-eight. The kind that forces offenses to abandon balance. The kind that lets a young quarterback win games without needing miracles.
Thatās how Super Bowl teams are built. Quietly.
McDonald wonāt be the name fans circle on draft night highlights. But by October, his impact would be obvious. Fewer creases. Fewer soft edges. Fewer long, grinding drives that wear defenses down.
This pick signals maturity.
The Bears are close enough now that marginal improvements matter more than splashy ones. And if theyāre serious about making the final jump ā not just contending, but surviving January football ā this is the type of decision they canāt ignore.
The draft isnāt about fixing everything anymore. Itās about fixing the one thing that could undo everything.
And right now, that thing is standing right over the ball.
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