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The Chicago Bears address their draft strategy as outside analysis, including from ESPN’s Field Yates, weighs in on their priorities.

The Chicago Bears hold the No. 25 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and ESPN analyst Field Yates delivered a blunt take on what they should do with it. Bit what Yates had to say runs counter to what many fans and analysts have been expecting. Despite legitimate first-round grades on several offensive tackles in this class, Yates argued on ESPN Chicago’s Waddle & Silvy that spending a premium pick at the position would be a mistake.

His reasoning centers on one name: Ozzy Trapilo. The second-year tackle tore his patellar tendon during Chicago’s NFC Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers in January, a setback expected to sideline him for most or all of the 2026 season, according to ESPN‘s Courtney Cronin. If Yates is right, the Bears could be passing on a position most expect them to prioritize early.

Before the injury, Trapilo had locked down the starting left tackle job in Week 12 and was protecting quarterback Caleb Williams at a high level down the stretch of his rookie year.

That context is the crux of Yates’ argument. Any first-round offensive tackle Chicago selects in April would effectively function as a one-year bridge, a player who would need a new role or a new team once Trapilo is healthy and reclaims his spot in 2027. Burning a premium pick on a short-term stopgap, in Yates’ view, doesn’t make strategic sense when a mid-round selection could serve the same purpose and free up the first-round pick to address a longer-term need.

Yates: Bears Shouldn’t Rush Into a First-Round Tackle

Yates framed it as a straightforward resource allocation question on ESPN Chicago. The Bears know Trapilo is their answer at left tackle. The only real variable is how long it takes him to get back. Spending a top pick to fill a gap that resolves itself in roughly a year — when cheaper options are available — is the kind of move that can haunt a front office, as quoted in an AtoZ Sports summary of the ESPN analyst’s remarks.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson acknowledged the uncertainty publicly at the NFL Annual Meeting in Arizona, telling reporters that Trapilo’s injury was serious and that nothing at the position was settled heading into draft season, according to ESPN‘s Cronin.

General manager Ryan Poles attended pro days for Alabama and Arizona State, both featuring top tackle prospects, which only stoked speculation that a first-round selection at the position was possible. Chicago also re-signed Braxton Jones and added veteran Jedrick Wills Jr. as short-term competition at left tackle ahead of the draft.

Mock Drafts Favor Defense for Bears at No. 25

Most analysts projecting Chicago’s pick aren’t landing on an offensive tackle, either. A survey of a dozen recently updated mock drafts published Thursday by senior writer Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com found edge rushers dominating the projections.

Clemson’s T.J. Parker was the most common pick, appearing in mocks from Dane Brugler of The Athletic and Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports, among others. Missouri’s Zion Young was the call from NFL.com‘s Mike Band. Only two of the dozen mocks had the Bears taking an offensive tackle at 25.

Those were Adam Rank of NFL.com, who tabbed the Bears to draft Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor, who Rank called “the sensible pitch” in light of Trapilo’s injury; and Emory Hunt of CBS Sports, who believes the Bears should spend their draft pick on Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano, who Hunt says possesses the versatility to move to center once Trapilo returns.

That consensus tracks with Yates’ thinking. Chicago has pass-rush needs, and the edge rusher value in this class appears deep enough to find a legitimate contributor without reaching. The offensive line situation, with Trapilo expected back in 2027 and a roster full of short-term bridge options already in place, may simply not require the investment that a first-round pick demands.