The on-field portion of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine kicks off Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium, and it’s a big one for the Bears.
Defensive line and linebacker remain priority areas for Chicago this offseason, whether that’s via free agency, trade, or the draft. General manager Ryan Poles has already hinted that the edge class is deeper than the interior group, and this is the first real opportunity to see those prospects in action.
Thursday is about traits. Explosiveness. Length. Bend. Range. And for specialists, leg strength and consistency.
For a Bears team looking to take the next defensive step, this group matters.
2026 NFL Scouting Combine: How to Watch
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium – IndianapolisDate: Thursday, February 26Start Time: 2:00 p.m. CTTV: NFL NetworkStreaming: NFL+, NFL Network App
Position groups will rotate through on-field drills, including the 40-yard dash, position-specific movement drills, and field work.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesProspects / Potential Bears Fits
(All scouting reports via NFL.com)
EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech
Bailey is extremely hard for linemen to stay in front of. He moves like a slashing two guard, blending explosiveness and fluidity to slip, bend, and flow around blocks from multiple angles. His leverage and lower-body flexion create game-over scenarios once he reaches pocket depth, even with a minor lead. He can be stalled when a blocker latches his hands in deep, but Bailey’s elusiveness and suddenness make clean clamps a relative rarity.
He’s instinctive with natural mid-rush counters, but he must continue developing hand usage and crafting rush plans for when protection shifts his way. Teams can run at Bailey due to his lack of anchor and take-on presence, but his work-around quickness will also lead to tackles for loss. His draft grade is slightly tempered by a lack of desired size/length, but the explosiveness and athletic talent are truly elite. His sack production should carry over to the NFL as an odd-front rush linebacker with Pro Bowl upside.
EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami
Mesidor is an instinctive, high-effort edge rusher with a fluid rush style and a deep toolbox. He bursts upfield and can shrink the corner while punishing oversetting tackles with inside counters. He strings moves together with effortless mid-rush adjustments, utilizing harmonious hands and feet to carve efficient tracks into the pocket.
He’s a problem for guards when reduced inside, too. His urgency shows up in run defense, where he uses play strength and short-area quickness to disrupt blocking schemes and stay around the football. He won’t be as long as most edge-setters, and his anchor at the point is just average. The talent and motor are obvious, but his age and injury history could push some teams to discount his grade below what the tape shows.
EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson
Powerful edge defender with NFL length whose 2025 tape might be closer to his pro projection than his gaudy 2024 numbers. Parker’s hand work is above average in both phases. He strikes early to set very firm edges, then sheds quickly to finish tackles. Average short-area burst limits his ability to pursue the run in space and threaten tackles in a race to the top of the rush.
He can long-arm tackles into the pocket when he catches them right, but he fails to find quick solutions when that approach stalls. His rush production will be muted until he expands his approach, but improvement is likely. Parker profiles as an average to above-average starter.
© Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesEDGE Zion Young, Missouri
Long, well-built edge rusher with the size, strength, and temperament engineered for trench battles at the next level. Young is a fiery alpha who brings immense energy to the field and locker room. He majors in block destruction using base power and aggression to play through opponents. He extends and locks out as an edge-setter and sheds when needed, but his pursuit speed and range are average.
He has the power to bull rush or drive through edges, but lacks instincts and variety in his rush approach. His NFL pressure production will lag behind without better go-to moves and counters. Young’s physical tools and rugged demeanor give him a chance to be an instant run-stopping upgrade with average rush.
EDGE Romello Height, Texas Tech
An edge defender with a lean, angular frame, Height will need a heavy dose of weight-room work to compete at the pro level. His rush is fast and relentless. He uses long strides to challenge at the top and can leap inside the protection. However, his lack of play strength and contact balance allows blockers to bounce him around. Height needs to improve his skill level and refine his approach if he’s going to make an impact as a designated pass rusher, but he has the talent to cause some chaos in the pocket.
EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn
Faulk has a long, developing frame, good movement skills, and the potential for odd or even fronts once he gains more muscle mass. He’s a culture player with high character who earns a grade bump based on his age (turns 21 in September), traits and advanced foundation. A fluid athlete with good movement skills, he works around blocks with finesse but needs more assertive initial strikes to set firmer edges in gap control.
His toughness and mentality suggest he’ll play through blocks more consistently in an NFL environment. Faulk’s rush is diverse. However, with average upfield burst, he might require a move inside on passing downs, where his long levers, quickness and agility can overmatch guards. Faulk needs polish but offers a high ceiling that should reveal itself within a couple of years.
DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
A talented run defender, McDonald plays with natural leverage and rattles pads with his initial contact. He’s quick to locate ball-carriers, play off of blocks, and rally to the action. His technique is a bit underdeveloped, and he’s not a natural drain-clogger against double teams, but he still managed an unusually high tackle rate as an interior defender. Quicker hand strikes should allow for more efficient reps and earlier wins at the point. He offers limited rush value, so his money will be made by giving grief to centers and guards as an even-front nose tackle with starting potential.
Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn ImagesDT Caleb Banks, Florida
Big-framed, long-limbed interior defender whose play needs more polish to consistently match his traits. Banks has a quick first step. He can stun/control single blocks when his hand strikes are timely and accurate, but he needs faster disengagement to increase his tackle count. His high center of gravity allows double teams to generate displacement, so a move to odd-front end could be in his best interest as a run defender. Like a grappler without submission knowledge, Banks is still learning to unlock his physical advantages so he can turn them into sacks.
DT Peter Woods, Clemson
Woods is a young interior defender with room to add play strength as he fills out his frame. He’s not a pure one- or two-gap fit, but he’s capable in both schemes. He plays with good lower-body explosiveness into initial contact, keeping his hands and feet synced to work around blocks when needed. He’s more of an active brawler than double-team eating tree stump.
Shorter arms allow blockers to crowd his frame and force him to fight harder at the point. Yet, his ability to overtake and win as the rep progresses is impressive. He lacks quick-win talent as a solo rusher, but he’s fully functional as part of a pocket-collapsing collective. His 2024 tape might be a better representation of his upside, but Woods clearly has the potential to become a solid starter in an even front.
DT Lee Hunter, Texas Tech
Hunter is a two-gapping nose tackle for odd or even fronts. He has the size, strength, and length to do battle in the heart of the trenches, but requires better block take-on technique to sit firmer in his grass. He won’t win in the gaps, but he can stack and shed single blocks or slide and stabilize his run fit against zone blocks.
Hunter’s girth and length are advantages when aligning over the center as a run defender. He doesn’t have enough quickness or skill as a rusher to see many passing downs, but he can dent the pocket with his power. Hunter projects as an early down space-eater who can make interior offensive linemen work for their gaps.
DT Christen Miller, Georgia
Miller is an even-front nose tackle who can rattle pads and gain early advantages at the point of attack. He has good stack-and-shed against single blocks but lacks the prototypical mass of a space-eater. He will lose his anchor to double teams and strong angle blocks at times. He’s average at matching lateral movement off the snap but is generally aware of play design and hustles across gaps to squeeze run lanes. He’ll continue to bulk up and should become a good starter who is more consistent than dominant along the interior.
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