Bears, Jaguars and 1 Cincinnati WR are owning the draft

The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off April 23 in Pittsburgh, and the storylines heading into one of the most anticipated selection weekends in recent memory are arriving fast. From a playoff contender looking to plug four critical roster holes to a small-school wide receiver who ran the second-fastest 40-yard dash at the combine, this year’s class is producing moments that will be talked about long after the final pick is made in Round 7.

Chicago Bears: filling 4 holes before the window closes

The Bears arrive in Pittsburgh holding seven picks and one of the most important drafts in the franchise’s recent history. After finishing 11-6, reaching the divisional round and watching Caleb Williams throw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns, Chicago is no longer rebuilding. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson are building toward a championship, and four positions on the current roster still demand urgent attention.

1. Defensive tackle remains the most pressing concern. Despite adding Neville Gallimore on a two-year, $10 million deal this offseason, the Bears have not yet identified a true interior disruptor capable of wrecking game plans on a consistent weekly basis. Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, Clemson’s Peter Woods and Georgia’s Christen Miller headline the options at the top of the position group.
2. Edge rusher is the second priority. Montez Sweat led the team with 10 sacks, but Chicago’s 35 total sacks as a team ranked outside the top 20 in the league. That is not a number a Super Bowl contender can live with for long.
3. Safety became a three-man evacuation zone this offseason. Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker and Jonathan Owens all departed, and while Coby Bryant’s three-year, $40 million signing gives the room a credible anchor, a legitimate starter alongside him is still needed. Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has appeared in multiple mock drafts as the Bears’ selection at No. 25.
4. Left tackle is the fourth gap, and perhaps the most uncomfortable one. Ozzy Trapilo is recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon with no firm return date, and the three-way competition for the starting role between Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet and Jedrick Wills gives Chicago’s offensive brain trust plenty of reason for concern.

Jacksonville Jaguars: targeting a 15-touchdown weapon

While the Bears are filling defensive gaps, the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to upgrade their backfield in a meaningful way. Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson has drawn real interest from the organization, with NFL insider Aaron Wilson reporting contact between the two sides. General manager James Gladstone typically avoids official in-person visits, making this likely a virtual evaluation, but in a 11-pick draft, any outreach signals genuine intent.

Johnson’s 2025 season was impossible to ignore. He rushed for 1,451 yards at 5.8 yards per carry, scored 12 rushing touchdowns and added 370 receiving yards and three more scores through the air, totaling 15 touchdowns and demonstrating the kind of every-down versatility that Liam Coen’s offense demands from the backfield. The consensus big board has him at No. 105 overall, placing him squarely in Jacksonville’s Day 2 range where the team holds four picks. He earned AP second-team All-American honors in 2025, a recognition that speaks to the consistency he delivered all season long.

The Jaguars currently have five running backs under contract, but depth and impact are two entirely different conversations, and Johnson’s two-way production gives the front office a compelling reason to act.

Jeff Caldwell: Cincinnati’s most electric 2026 draft story

No player in this entire draft class has generated more buzz from a single week’s work than Cincinnati wide receiver Jeff Caldwell. ESPN named him one of seven players whose stock has risen the most over the past several months, and after watching what he did at the NFL Scouting Combine, it is easy to understand why.

Caldwell measured in at 6 feet 5 inches, the tallest wide receiver in the entire combine field, and then ran the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds, the second-fastest time among all receivers who ran. That combination of measurables stopped personnel conversations across the league in their tracks. He is currently the 152nd-ranked prospect on the Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, but evaluators who have followed him closely believe that performance gives him a legitimate path into early Day 3 or even late Day 2 territory before the weekend concludes.

His path to this moment has been anything but traditional. Caldwell spent three seasons at FCS program Lindenwood, where he averaged 19.5 yards per reception and scored 11 touchdowns in his final year, earning Walter Payton Award finalist recognition as the division’s top player. He then transferred to Cincinnati, caught 32 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns in one season with the Bearcats and never looked back.

If five Bearcats hear their names called in Pittsburgh this week, Cincinnati will match the program’s all-time draft class record set in 2022. Caldwell and fellow prospect Cyrus Allen could both be central figures in that milestone. For a player who was not even on draft boards a year ago, that would be a story worth remembering long after the 2026 season begins.

SOURCE: ESPN