The 2026 draft class overflows with explosive speed at safety and linebacker, precisely what the Bears desperately need to fix their defense.
Although the Chicago Bears were able to get over the hump of making the playoffs in 2025, this team still has some glaring holes on its roster.
There is a need for an experienced pass rusher after the Bears finished 22nd in the NFL in sacks with 35. Then, there is the need for a safety, as the contracts of Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker are set to expire as the two hit free agency.
More recently, it's become apparent that the Bears are going to need help at linebacker. With the injury to T.J. Edwards, there is an uncertain timeline for his recovery.
Plus, Tremaine Edmunds has now been granted permission to seek a trade. This means Noah Sewell is the best option at linebacker for the Bears heading into the 2026 season.
The Bears have multiple needs this offseason, but safety and linebacker are becoming more important as we near the 2026 NFL Draft.
General Manager Ryan Poles has mentioned that he wants to add more speed to the defense.
Luckily for him, the draft has no shortage of fast defensive players in this draft class at safety and linebacker, as shown by the recent 40-yard dash times.
"Yeah, motor, relentlessness, violence, explosive, and then, I just want to continue to improve our defensive speed," Poles said. "I think we saw that a little bit against Green Bay and some of the other games down the stretch. I want to improve our defensive speed overall."
If you had the last name of Styles at the 40-yard dash, you had a good day. Brothers Lorenzo and Sonny Styles both played for Ohio State in college and had some solid times for their positions.
Lorenzo plays safety and had the fastest time among his position with a 4.27. Sonny led the linebackers with a 4.46.
At safety, others like Dillon Thieneman (Oregon), Treydan Stukes (Arizona), Jalon Kilgore (South Carolina) and V.J. Payne (Kansas State) all finished with a 40-yard dash time of 4.40 or below.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr (4.47), Anthony Hill Jr. (4.51), Kyle Louis (4.53) and Namdi Obiazor (4.53) were the other names to watch at linebacker in the 40-yard dash.
We saw how a lack of speed in the secondary and overall exposed the Bears' defense multiple times this season. You can look back at the meetings with the Green Bay Packers, where the Bears couldn't keep up with the receivers and got scored on as a result.
For a team that needs to upgrade its speed on the defensive side of the ball, the 2026 NFL Draft offers plenty of options for the Bears to pick from outside of free agency.