NFL Draft night: Bears hold 25
- The 2026 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 23, with live coverage and first-round drama expected. - The Chicago Bears hold the No. 25 overall pick and enter the draft with seven total picks, including four in the top 90. - That haul gives Chicago substantial draft capital to address roster needs as teams also prepare for possible Round 1 trades. (windycitygridiron.com) (nytimes.com)
The Chicago Bears enter Thursday night with the No. 25 pick in Round 1 and seven total selections in the 2026 National Football League Draft. (nfl.com) The draft opens Thursday, April 23, at 8 p.m. Eastern in Pittsburgh, with Round 1 followed by Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday, April 24, and Rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday, April 25. The league is staging the event around Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park. (nfl.com) Chicago’s full set is No. 25, No. 57, No. 60, No. 89, No. 129, No. 239 and No. 241. That gives the Bears four picks in the top 90 and two second-rounders on Friday night. (chicagobears.com) The first round is where teams can move fastest, because every club gets one slot and the clock is longest. Chicago starts late enough at No. 25 to watch the board develop, but early enough to move up or back if a target slides or extra picks are offered. (nfl.com) The Bears’ draft position follows an 11-6 season that left them first in the National Football Conference North, and their extra capital came through prior trades that added a second-rounder from Buffalo and later picks from the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns. (nfl.com) (chicagobears.com) League-wide, the 2026 draft runs 257 picks over seven rounds. Pittsburgh is hosting the event for the first time since 1948, making this the city’s first modern draft as the National Football League turns the opening round into a prime-time television event. (operations.nfl.com) Fans in Chicago also have a local watch event at Soldier Field from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central on Thursday, timed to the Bears’ first-round selection. The team says the event includes live draft coverage, entertainment and player appearances. (chicagobears.com) By the time commissioner Roger Goodell gets into the 20s on Thursday night, the Bears should still control one of the round’s more flexible spots. Chicago can stay at No. 25, use one of its extra Day 2 picks to move up, or add more capital and push part of the haul into Friday. (nfl.com)
