The Chicago Bears made three picks on the second day of the 2026 NFL draft, but the results were far from the expectations that most fans and analysts set.
After using their first of two second-round picks (No. 57) to address their center need with Iowa’s Logan Jones, the Bears traded their other pick (No. 60) to move back nine spots into the early part of the third round (No. 69) and add a fifth-rounder (No. 144).
While the trade back was not surprising, what the Bears did with their two third-round picks — including their own at No. 89 — turned more than a few heads around the NFL.
Instead of addressing their defensive line needs, the Bears selected Stanford tight end Sam Roush with the No. 69 pick and LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas with the No. 89 pick, prioritizing more weapons for Ben Johnson’s offense instead of defensive depth. Roush seemed an odd choice given Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet’s clear priority as the Bears’ top two tight ends, while many scouts graded Thomas as a late Day 3 pick.
Nevertheless, the Bears are where they are, entering Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft with a fourth-round pick (No. 129), a fifth-round pick (No. 144) and two seventh-round picks (Nos. 239 and 241) and needs remaining at various spots on Dennis Allen’s defense.
Here are the five best available fits remaining on the board for the Bears in Day 3:
Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
GettyFormer Penn State edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton.
Dennis-Sutton isn’t the most explosive pass rusher and can play a little stiff at times, but he is arguably the best edge rusher left on the board heading into the third day of the draft after recording 17 sacks and 25 tackles for loss over his final two seasons at Penn State. If he keeps falling down to No. 129, the Bears could land a Day 3 gem.
Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC
GettyFormer USC edge rusher Anthony Lucas.
Lucas is more of a project than Dennis-Sutton and is more likely a target for the Bears in the fifth or seventh rounds after he tallied just three career sacks (all in 2025) in 38 career games in college. Still, he has the ideal NFL size (6-foot-5, 260 pounds), a seven-foot wingspan and enough athleticism to believe he can develop into a productive pass rusher in the right pro system. The Bears can take a chance on those physical traits.
Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma
GettyFormer Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton.
Halton was among the suggested fits for the Bears on Day 2, and while the team chose to neglect the defensive line — again — instead, the logic remains the same for Day 3. He is a smaller three-technique (6-foot-2, 300 pounds) than the pros typically prefer, but he has a lightning bolt of a first step and a surprising amount of closing speed when he breaks through. He also has high energy and leadership that also check Chicago’s boxes.
Kaleb Proctor, DT, SE Louisiana
GettyFormer SE Louisiana defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor.
Proctor is another undersized three-technique with similar traits to Halton in terms of his play speed, first-step get-off and athleticism. There are legitimate questions about how he will hold up against bigger-bodied NFL linemen, both because of his size and because he spent his career facing FCS competition. But if the Bears can get him to add more mass to his lean frame and help him with his leverage, he has elite intangibles and an unyielding motor that could make him a productive interior defender over time.
Travis Burke, OT, Memphis
GettyFormer Memphis offensive tackle Travis Burke.
Burke is an enormous offensive tackle (nearly 6-foot-9 and 332 pounds) with 35-inch arms and a mean demeanor in the trenches that makes him a bully as both a pass protector and run blocker. He also moves better than you might expect for his towering size, but he needs to work on his leverage and footwork to become a true impact player at the next level. While the Bears might have preferred a tackle with left-side experience if they had taken one in the earlier rounds, they can deal with Burke’s background on the right side since he would be competing as a swing tackle — at least, as a rookie.
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