Intel: Chicago Bears Have Two Names They’re Willing To Trade Up For In 1st Round
Right now, the Chicago Bears hold the #25 pick in the 1st round of the upcoming 2026 NFL draft. It is expected that they will stay there. After all, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has never traded up in the 1st round since taking over. He’s traded down twice. Both occurred in 2023, first moving down from #1 overall to #9, and then from #9 to #10. The Bears have remained fixed in place over the past two drafts, taking Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze with their original picks, and then Colston Loveland last year.
However, it is never wise to underestimate Poles. He’s willing to be aggressive when the time feels right. This could be the year. Chicago is coming off a playoff trip and was an overtime away from the NFC Championship. If they can land a true difference-maker in this draft, it might push them over the top. People close to the situation inside Halas Hall informed SM that two players in this class have Poles and the coaching staff excited. So much so that if either falls to a certain point in the 1st round, they will make calls to trade up.
Pass rushers David Bailey of Texas Tech and Rueben Bain Jr. of Miami.
| Name | Seasons | Sacks | TFLs | FFs |
| David Bailey | 4 | 29 | 42 | 10 |
| Rueben Bain Jr. | 3 | 20.5 | 33.5 | 4 |
The Chicago Bears’ excitement is well-founded.
Bailey has dominated the college ranks for his entire career, and 2025 was his best season. He is ready for the NFL, and draft experts see a player tailor-made for today’s game. Some have compared him to Nik Bonitto, the Denver Broncos’ star edge rusher. He is incredibly quick, agile, explosive, and flexible. His natural instincts for hunting the quarterback show up on every play. The one concern with him is his size. He’s 6’3 and 250 lbs, making him somewhat average, which is why many project him as more of an outside linebacker.
As for Bain, he was the focal point of Miami’s ferocious defense that carried them to the national championship game. He’s violent, heavy-handed, powerful, and has more speed than you’d think. He can move inside and outside, hunting for matchups. Getting trained by Hall of Famer Jason Taylor hasn’t hurt. His knowledge of the art is obvious from every snap. It comes down to whether teams can look past his short arms, which are reportedly 30 to 31 inches.
Could Bailey or Bain fall?
Pass rushers historically go early in the 1st round. Such is the nature of playing arguably the most important position in the sport outside of quarterback. After crunching some numbers, the average mock draft position for Bailey has been around the 5th pick. Everybody expects him to go in the top 10 with a good chance of cracking the top 5. Bain sits at the 9th pick. That means there is at least a possibility he slips out of the top 10. Beyond that, it’s uncertain how far down the board he goes.
This also depends on how aggressive the Chicago Bears are willing to be. Let’s say they offer up their 2nd round pick packaged with #25. Based on trade value charts, the best they could probably do is the 15th overall pick. Unless something changes in the next two months, it seems unlikely either player will slip that far. That means either the Bears are out of luck, or they’ve have to add more to the package to get higher. Poles has never given up more than a 2nd for anything in a trade before.
Are Bailey or Bain worth it? Given how badly this team needs a dynamic pass rusher and how good both were in college, the case isn’t difficult to make.