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Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
The Chicago Bears lost four safeties and a cornerback this offseason, and rebuilding the secondary remains a top priority in the Windy City heading into the NFL draft.
Chicago signed Super Bowl champion safety Coby Bryant in free agency after watching first-team All-Pro Kevin Byard III join the New England Patriots. Jaquan Brisker, a 17-game starter and a key fixture of Chicago’s defense for the past four seasons, also left for the AFC, joining the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bears own the No. 25 pick in the first round 23 days from now, and while a defensive tackle or an edge-rusher could end up the choice there, draft experts are increasingly predicting Chicago goes with the best safety on the board in that spot.
However, selecting a safety to replace Brisker and potentially build an even better position group than the team had last season is contingent upon Emmanuel McNeil-Warren of Toledo remaining available in the mid 20s. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs is probably a top-10 pick, while Dillon Thieneman of Oregon doesn’t appear likely to fall beyond the Minnesota Vikings at No. 18.
Based on those likelihoods, Lance Zierlein of NFL Network predicted in his latest mock draft on Wednesday, April 1 that the Bears won’t risk missing out on McNeil-Warren by passively waiting for him at No. 25, but will instead trade up five spots with the Dallas Cowboys and select their safety of choice with the 20th pick.
“Ryan Poles gets aggressive and moves up the board to grab a long, rangy safety capable of laying the lumber or taking the ball away from a variety of alignments,” Zierlein wrote.
Bears Would Likely Need to Send Cowboys 4th-Round Draft Pick as Part of Trade
Colton Hood, Tennessee
GettyTennessee cornerback Colton Hood.
Zierlein did not specify what compensation he expects Chicago to forfeit in the hypothetical trade, though the Bears own just two assets in 2026 that fit the return window.
Chicago won’t sacrifice either of its second-rounders, Nos. 57 and 60, just to move up five spots when the team has other needs and could draft a quality tackle like Kayden McDonald of Ohio State or an edge defender like Zion Young of Missouri. But the Bears’ seventh-rounders, Nos. 239 and 241, won’t be enough to entice Dallas into a deal.
That leaves pick Nos. 89 and 129 in Rounds 3 and 4, respectively, as options to make a deal happen. That third-round asset reads a bit high to sacrifice for just a five-spot bump to grab the No. 3-rated player in his position group in McNeil-Warren when the Bears have other needs that are almost as pressing.
So, by process of elimination, it would probably cost Chicago the No. 129 pick to jump up to 20. Zierlein projects that the Cowboys will select cornerback Colton Hood out of Tennessee at No. 25 if they go through with the hypothetical deal.
That scenario allows Dallas to address a major need on defense without losing any value (Zierlein predicts no defensive backs coming off the board between pick Nos. 21-24), and adds another mid-round asset to improve the roster with inexpensive rookie talent.
Bears Defense Hungry for Turnover Potential Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Provides
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
GettyToldeo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
The one hitch is that Dallas might prefer McNeil-Warren at safety over Hood at cornerback, as Matt Miller of ESPN predicted in his most recent mock draft. Miller made the case for McNeil-Warren to go in the early 20s, just before Chicago can select him.
“McNeil-Warren would be elite in a three-safety look due to his 6-foot-4 build, range and ability to play in the box,” Miller wrote. “He’s very good at erasing passing lanes, but McNeil-Warren’s best asset is his downhill tackling ability that has led to nine career forced fumbles.”
McNeil-Warren’s propensity for creating turnovers would be a welcome trait for Chicago’s defense, which led the league with 33 takeaways last season and also had the best turnover differential at plus-22.
Some of that is scheme and some is talent, but a considerable amount is also a matter of luck, which is true for every NFL team every year. The Bears’ turnover numbers are almost certain to regress in 2026, at least relative to the competition, which means the defense will almost certainly need to be better in all other areas than it was last year to create the same level of success.
Adding McNeil-Warren makes Chicago’s defense better in meaningful ways, particularly after the loss of both starting safeties in free agency, and he also brings a higher probability of turnover creation than other players the Bears could draft at the same spot, regardless of position.