The Bears attacked the offseason by addressing the trenches in trading for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, then signing Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett in free agency. By doing so, they are headed into the NFL Draft with no true glaring holes on the roster. There are certain positions that can be upgraded, but they have solid starters across the board.
This allows them to truly take the best player available approach in the draft. There have been a million mock drafts with a million different players as the choice for them at 10th overall. However, they also have a pair of early second-round picks (39 & 41) where they can add two players or potentially use them to trade up for someone they are big on.
The defensive line position may only have a few true blue-chip players, but it is very deep and there is immense talent to be had in the middle rounds. As mentioned above, the Bears addressed their defensive line already, but they should still be looking to add depth to the room. A recent report said that they are going in hunting for a defensive tackle and may be willing to move up if needed.
Zacch Pickens Will Likely Be on His Way Out of Chicago Soon
If the reports are true and the Bears are looking to add a defensive tackle with one of their first three selections, then Pickens is likely going to be on his way out. A former third-round pick in 2023, Pickens has not really shown much in two seasons. The Bears defensive line has not been an elite group for years now so the fact that Pickens has struggled to get playing time says a lot.
In two seasons, Pickens has just 1.5 sacks and 39 combined tackles. He missed some time in 2024 due to injury but was not much of a factor once he returned. Andrew Billings went down for the season so the Bears truly needed all hands on deck on the interior, but Pickens was still unable to provide a spark.
With Andrew Billings returning from injury, Gervon Dexter looking to take another leap, Grady Jarrett joining the room, and a potential first or second-round pick coming in, it will be difficult for the Bears to justify keeping Pickens on the roster. Chris Williams, an undrafted player in 2020, showed some glimpses last season as well and should be above Pickens on the depth chart.
It will be interesting to see how Dennis Allen runs his defensive front and who will play where, but Pickens isn't likely to be a part of those plans if they bring in a rookie with one of their higher draft selections.