With April officially here, the 2026 NFL Draft is just weeks away as teams begin finalizing evaluations for the NFL's most important week of the offseason. With four picks inside the top 100, the Chicago Bears will have four picks in the top 100, including two in the second round, providing the front office with plenty of opportunities to add long-term building blocks on defense who fit Dennis Allen's scheme.
Despite adding linebackers Devin Bush and Jack Sanborn in free agency, the uncertainty surrounding T.J. Edwards injury means the front office could choose to spend one of the Bears top 100 draft selections on a linebacker to pair with Bush. One name that could be a potential fit is Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jake Golday.
Let's get into our scouting report on Golday.
Jake Golday, Cincinnati, (6-foot-4, 239 pounds)
From his NFL.com draft profile via Lance Zierlein:
"Golday is a big, explosive linebacker with a game best suited for work near the line of scrimmage. He attacks climbing blockers with heavy, aggressive hands. He also shows the strength to stack, compress gaps and finish with authority. While his performance at the point of attack stands out, he can be a little late diagnosing play design and needs to work with a more preemptive downhill trigger at times. He's more powerful than elusive as a blitzer and is average in coverage. Golday's traits, explosiveness and field demeanor should make him an early special teams standout with the potential to eventually start at Sam or inside linebacker."
Film:
Strengths:
- Speed and explosiveness flash consistently on film.
- Sheds blocks easily allowing him to rack up tackles.
- Rangy pursuit ability makes him a force every time he's on the field.
- Has the makings of being a true playmaker at the next level, creating plenty of highlight plays in the process.
- Motor never turns off during games.
- Excellent defender when dropping into zone coverage.
Weaknesses:
- Always seems to be a step behind the offense when plays develop.
- Has issues understanding route combinations and what to expect.
- Running backs and H-backs out of the backfield as pass catchers will give him trouble.
- Lacks the tools and traits needed to rush the passer when called upon.
Does Golday fit the Bears defense?
The experience playing for so long in college is a plus when evaluating Golday's film, but from the Bears viewpoint, he may not be the best fit at inside linebacker in Allen's scheme. His pursuit ability is solid, but the lack of quickness and instincts when diagnosing plays makes him a liability as a player on the field. He's a good run defender, but for a player his size, he should be more polished as a pass rusher, which he isn't.
Drafting him, the Bears would see an impact on the field during run plays, but he'd be a major work in progress when asked to focus on the quarterback, something that could take time for him to adjust to.
Conclusion:
Overall, Golday is one of the bigger linebacker prospects in the 2026 draft class and likely fits a team that is looking for a true MIKE linebacker who can cover ground, compared to a player who can do a little bit of everything on the field.
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