The NFL calendar is in that dead zone where training camp still feels a month away and free agency headlines have dried up. So yeah, it’s mock draft season again. Even for 2027.
A Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator run has the Chicago Bears loading up on edge rushers in a way that suggests they’re not done hunting for pass rush help. Two of their first three picks? Edge defenders. And that’s before they start throwing darts at cornerbacks later in the draft.
Round 1, Pick 17: Yhonzae Pierre, EDGE, Alabama
The Bears have been connected to Maxx Crosby trade rumors all offseason. That didn’t happen. So here we are looking at a 6-foot-3, 253-pound Alabama edge who had eight sacks and 45 pressures in 2025. Pierre is a former four-star recruit who broke out last season in Tuscaloosa, and his run defense is actually what might catch Ben Johnson’s eye. Gap discipline and edge setting don’t always show up in the box score, but the Bears coaching staff will notice.
Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo are both entering the final year of their contracts in 2027. Even if Chicago extends one of them, adding a rookie edge with Pierre’s athletic profile makes sense. He generated consistent pressure, forced three fumbles, and played with the kind of motor that translates to January football.
Round 2, Pick 49: John Henry Daley, EDGE, Michigan
Back-to-back edge rushers. That’s a statement. Daley had 11.5 sacks at Utah in 2025 before transferring to Michigan to follow his head coach Kyle Whittingham. Problem is he tore his Achilles late that season. That injury clouds his 2026 availability but it also could make him a steal if he falls in the draft.
Daley’s football pedigree is legit. His uncle is Saints gadget weapon Taysom Hill. His father and brother both played college ball. Hard worker, coachable, productive when healthy. The Achilles is the big question mark but if he’s cleared by draft season, teams might snatch him up earlier than pick 49. The Bears would be getting a player who showed real pass rush juice before the injury.
Round 3, Pick 81: Nyck Harbor, WR, South Carolina
Harbor is a freak. 6-foot-5, 235 pounds and he used to sprint track. He caught 30 passes for 618 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. That stat line doesn’t scream first-rounder but the physical tools definitely do. Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Jahdae Walker are already in Chicago’s receiver room. Adding Harbor as a big X receiver gives Johnson another mismatch weapon.
If Harbor has a strong senior season at South Carolina, he might not be around in Round 3. But if he’s there, the Bears get a prototype deep threat with deceptive speed for his size.
Rounds 4 through 7: Cornerbacks and a gadget receiver
Chicago’s secondary gets attention starting with Notre Dame’s DJ McKinney at pick 115. He’s 6-foot-2 with physical coverage skills, and with Tyrique Stevenson and Jaylon Jones both on expiring contracts, the Bears need to plan ahead. Round 5 brings Oregon transfer Aaron Scott Jr., a former five-star recruit who hasn’t put it all together yet. Round 6 is Mississippi State’s Anthony Evans III, a slot receiver who also returned punts. Round 7 wraps things up with Arizona State corner Ashton Stamps, a former LSU starter who got buried on the depth chart in 2025.
That’s four defensive backs added in one draft. It might be overkill but that’s the nature of way-too-early mock drafts. Sometimes you just throw picks at a position group and see what sticks.
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