NFC North NFL Mock Draft roundup: Who experts think Bears, Vikings, Lions will pick

The 2026 NFL Draft is in less than a month. That means your feeds are going to be littered with breakdowns, videos, and analyses of a whole bunch of prospects. You’re going to get a bunch of names thrown in your face, and it’s hard to keep everyone straight. We’re going to make that whole thing easier for you.

Everyone can do a mock draft, but not everyone should do an NFL Mock Draft. There are a few dozen people out there who do draft analysis that are worth a hoot. We’re going to look at some of what those people who are paid lots of money to analyze the draft are saying about the teams that you care about and the teams that you hate. The four first-round mock drafts that we’re looking at are from NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald, ESPN’s Field Yates, and Arkham Asylum’s (or ESPN) Mel Kiper. Let’s get into it. 

One thing to remember here is that the Green Bay Packers don’t have a first-round pick because they traded it to the Cowboys in the Micah Parsons trade. So they’re not going to be mentioned in this. Of all the teams in the NFC North, they might need that pick the most because of the sheer number of players they lost in free agency. Them’s the breaks.

Chicago Bears (No. 25 pick in the first round)

Jeremiah (NFL.com): SAF Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

The Bears' defensive backfield got ransacked in free agency. They lost one of their cornerbacks and four of their five safeties, which is both a good and a bad thing. It’s bad because that group led the NFL in interceptions, but good because if they were pretty bad if they weren’t getting those picks. 

Regardless, they need to reload. In free agency, they signed Coby Bryant from the Seahawks, but that’s pretty much it. 

Drafting Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is a good move for getting someone that they need… but it’s pretty risky. He would probably end up being the third safety drafted in the first round, and that’s a hell of a gamble.

Safety is one of the harder (if not the hardest) positions for teams to evaluate going into the draft. For there to be three of them that are worth a premier draft pick in one year? Woof. That’s rare.

In 2017, Jamal Adams, Malik Hooker, and Jabrill Peppers were drafted in the first round. In 2018, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Derwin James, and Terrell Edmunds were drafted in the first round. And in 2022, Kyle Hamilton, Dax Hill, and Lewis Cine were drafted in the first round.

 All three of those classes have at least one guy who’s a black sheep, and it’s mostly the last one getting picked. You don’t want to be that team if you don’t have to. 

Tice and McDonald (Yahoo Sports): DT Peter Woods, Clemson

You’ll read a lot of different stuff about Peter Woods. Some people will say he’s a lazy pipsqueak, and if a team drafts him in the first round, they should be keelhauled. Other people say that he’s a hand grenade loaded with C4, and the team that drafts him should be asked if they took a trip to Paris last October because he’s the steal of the draft.

The truth, as always, probably lies in the middle somewhere. But the one thing that they have to agree on is that Woods is a pretty small fella (for a defensive tackle). According to Mockdraftable, he’s six feet and two-ish inches tall, 298 pounds, has a 76.75-inch wingspan, has 31.25-inch arms, and 9.125-inch hands. That means he’s 35th percentile in height, 30th in weight, 12th in wingspan, fifth in arm length, and sixth in hand size.

For some people, that lack of size, especially on the defensive line, is a deal breaker. However, the dude has shown that he can be amazingly powerful (he can move people) and big-time strong (he can’t be moved).

Will that translate from the ACC to the NFL, where he’s trying to shed Penei Sewell two Sundays a year? The guys at Yahoo Sports think so. Whatever the case, he’d be an upgrade on the Bears' defensive line. They stunk last season. 

Yates and Kiper (ESPN): EDGE Zion Young, Missouri

Field Yates and Mel Kiper agree with the rest of the world that the Bears need to get a pass rusher. They didn’t get anyone major during free agency (probably definitely because of the Maxx Crosby thing), and they cannot go into another season where Montez Sweat is their only real threat. 

If the Bears pick Zion Young, it’s probably because of a run on edge rushers and defensive ends early in the draft… and that’s a very real possibility. 

Young’s a good ball player, but he’s not nearly as high-caliber as some of the other first-round prospects. He’s a huge dude (both height and weight), but he leaves you wanting a lot more as a pass rusher… which is the entire reason the Bears would be drafting an EDGE early.

As a run defender, though? Good night; this guy rocks. 

Minnesota Vikings (No. 18 pick in the first round)

Jeremiah, Yates, and Kiper: SAF Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

We haven’t heard if Harrison Smith is officially retiring just yet, but all signs are pointing to yes… and it just so happens that there’s another insanely high caliber white safety entering the draft… and it just so happens that almost every single draftnik thinks that the Minnesota Vikings are going to go after him. 

Do it. You’re losing a white safety? Go get another white safety. Refill your milk glass.

Even if they don’t want Dillon Thieneman (which they should), they should just pick him as a bit. If they don’t go for him, there’s a good chance the Eagles would try to get him to replace Reed Blankenship as an Exciting White.

As for Thieneman’s play: it’s awesome. He’s not blowing your mind as a physical specimen, but he more than makes up for it with his shiftiness, quickness, explosiveness, and ability to cover and wreck runs. He’d be a whole lot of fun to watch in a Brian Flores defense. 

Tice and McDonald: DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

The Yahoo guys went a different direction, and one that makes sense in a little bit of a different way: get not just a mammoth, but the mammoth to stop the run.

It’s feeling like the days of the dominant nose tackle are making a comeback, and if the Vikings draft Kayden McDonald, they should have their guy and be set for the next five or more years. He’s also not just some fat slob. He’s got the talent and wherewithal to get in on some games, too. 

Detroit Lions (No. 17 pick in the first round)

Jeremiah: OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

Taylor Decker has been the Lions' left tackle for the last eight years. He’s gone now. 

This is a team that both benefits from and needs an awesome offensive line to be a productive offense. That means they need to get a replacement quick, fast, and in a hurry. Monroe Freeling doesn’t really give them that. 

Of all the tackles in the draft, Freeling might have the most long-term upside because of his size and raw talent… but he only started one season at Georgia. The guy just needs reps. I doubt he’d be the Lions' top choice, but he’ll get the job done sooner or later (which, again, is not something you want to say about your first-round pick).

Tice and McDonald: EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami

Here’s a fun game for any non-Lions fan: name an edge rusher besides Aiden Hutchinson. You actually can’t because they don’t exist. If Detroit doesn’t draft an offensive lineman, they absolutely have to make sure they get a pass rusher to play with Aiden Hutchinson. 

Akheem Mesidor is a really good ball player who is ready to start and contribute this year… which is kind of his problem. He’s 25-years old. If you’re a team looking to spend a first-round pick on a player, let alone an edge, you really don’t want them to be banging on 30 by the time their fifth-year option comes into play. He’s also got an injury history with foot stuff. 

The idea of the Lions going into this position is great. If you’re choosing between a project like Freeling or an Edge rusher, the Edge might be the move. But this specific player? Eh… I wouldn’t be happy about it if I were in Detroit.

Yates and Kiper: OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

Kadyn Proctor is the opposite of Freeling. He’s awesome, and he’s ready to roll right now, but based on what we’ve seen from him, he might not have as high a ceiling. He’s a massive dude (six-foot-seven, 370 pounds) who won’t get moved on the line of scrimmage and will smother guys… but he understandably leaves a little bit to be desired when he’s on the move. 

On one hand, the Lions love a linemen who can do both, but you’ll probably be chill about it if it means Jared Goff’s blindside is clean as a whistle.

If he’s available in the second half of the first round, this pick is a no-brainer. He’ll probably end up being a Lion for the better part of the next decade because that’s what they do. If you’re not a Lions fan, you should be rooting for this to happen because it’d be super sick if/when he crushes a safety and catches a gimmicky touchdown.

More NFL news and analysis: