The 2026 NFL Draft begins in just a few days, and the Chicago Bears will once again be looking for impactful players to develop as they look to stay competitive going into a new season. Armed with seven picks in total, including No. 25 overall and two picks in the second round, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson will work to address key roster needs at multiple positions.
As is always the case with the draft, not every pick will be a hit. Some players will come and go without making much of an impact, but others could leave a lasting legacy, whether they are multi-year Pro Bowl talents or simply quality starters.
No draft class is perfect, and some picks will look worse than others. After providing the best picks from each Bears draft class since 2016, we’re now looking at the worst picks. Here are the players who stood out for all the wrong reasons.
2016: DB Deiondre’ Hall
Fourth round, pick No. 127
The Bears had a decent return in the 2016 NFL Draft, even if players like Leonard Floyd and Jonathan Bullard never became stars. Their first big miss came at the end of the fourth round with Deiondre’ Hall, a talented yet undisciplined player. Hall only lasted a couple of seasons in Chicago as he dealt with injuries, an arrest, and a suspension. Missing on a fourth-round pick isn’t the end of the world, but it’s tough knowing Dak Prescott was still on the board when Hall was selected.
2017: QB Mitchell Trubisky
First round, pick No. 2
Mitchell Trubisky is not the biggest bust of the 2017 NFL Draft for the Bears. That title goes to second-round tight end Adam Shaheen. He was still the worst pick when you consider all of the circumstances, though. Pace went rogue by not informing his staff of his draft plans to select Trubisky, then surrendered multiple picks to move up one spot for the inexperienced quarterback. Everyone knows the biggest mistake was passing up Patrick Mahomes and even Deshaun Watson, and though Trubisky put up decent numbers, the whole process to select him was flawed.
2018: WR Anthony Miller
Second round, pick No. 51
The receiver who looked like Steve Smith coming out of college, Anthony Miller had a hot start to his NFL career. Miller caught seven touchdowns as a rookie and was primed for a fruitful career in Chicago after the Bears traded up to select him. That didn’t last long. Miller fell out of favor due to practice habits and attitude problems and only played three seasons in a Bears uniform. To make matters worse, the Bears surrendered a future second-round pick to select him.
2019: WR Riley Ridley
Fourth round, pick No. 126
At the time, it seemed like the Bears got a steal when Riley Ridley was available in the fourth round. It turns out there were reasons teams passed on him. Ridley, the younger brother of Calvin Ridley, wasn’t fast enough and could never break through, spending two seasons on the bench. He never eclipsed more than 70 receiving yards in a single season and was out of the league following the 2020 season.
2021: WR Dazz Newsome
Sixth round, pick No. 221
The Bears swung big on Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins in the first and second rounds, respectively, and though they never panned out, they were at least adequate starters for a number of years. The entire draft class managed to last at least four seasons, except for Dazz Newsome. The Bears took a flier on Newsome in the sixth round thanks to his blazing speed, but he couldn’t get out of his own way with drops on the field. Newsome lasted just one year and didn’t even make it to the final cuts of his second training camp.
2022: WR Velus Jones
Third round, pick No. 71
Ryan Poles hit on his first defensive draft pick that he made as general manager, but the same can’t be said on the offensive side. Velus Jones was a questionable pick at the time when it was made and only looks worse with age. The speedster was never a good fit at wide receiver, and he was a liability on special teams thanks to his muffs and fumbles. The Bears gave Jones every opportunity to succeed, even moving him to running back. It never worked, and he was off the team midway through his third season.
2023: DT Zacch Pickens
Third round, pick No. 61
The Bears double-dipped at defensive tackle when they selected Zacch Pickens shortly after drafting Gervon Dexter. While Dexter has developed into a quality NFL defensive lineman, Pickens has yet to make an impact. He struggled early on, and after suffering through injuries in Year 2, he found himself as a healthy scratch as the year went on. Pickens’ time with the Bears finally came to an end in 2025 as he was part of the final roster cuts. He finished his Bears career with just 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.
2024: OT Kiran Amegadjie
Third round, pick No. 76
Two years after this class was drafted and Kiran Amegadjie is easily the worst pick of the bunch. Amegadjie struggled in limited playing time during his rookie year but there was still hope going into Year 2. Especially considering he had a golden opportunity in front of him with an open competition at left tackle. But Amegadjie fell behind quickly in camp and suffered an elbow injury that prevented him from playing in the regular season. His roster spot will be in jeopardy going into training camp.
2025: LB Ruben Hyppolite
Fourth round, pick No. 132
It looks like the Bears nailed their 2025 draft with multiple high-end starters and a couple of potential super stars. But not every draft is perfect. In the fourth round, they reached for linebacker Ruben Hyppolite out of Maryland and the pick was panned from the start. Hyppolite didn’t do anything to justify the selection. The speedy yet raw linebacker played sparingly, even while the Bears dealt with multiple injuries at the position. Hyppolite played in seven games, totaling six tackles during his rookie year.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Worst Chicago Bears draft pick from every year since 2016
Reporting by Brendan Sugrue, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
