Bears linked to Clemson, Penn State pass rushers for early rounds of 2026 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional round, and while Caleb Williams' heroics just weren't enough, the Bears had a major issue on defense.

While the secondary played great, the pass rush was almost non-existent against Stafford and all of their opponents this season. Winning in the NFL without getting pressure on the quarterback is nearly impossible.

Adding some pass rush help this offseason is a must, and as Justin Reid of ESPN noted, there are a couple of pass rusher options early in the 2026 NFL Draft worth monitoring for the Bears. Specifically, either a Penn State and Clemson pass rusher would make sense.

Bears linked to Clemson, Penn State pass rushers

"The Bears tied wit hthe Bengals for last in pass rush win rate this season," Reid writes. "In round 1, T.J. Parker (Clemson) would fit the prototype of the team's defensive scheme, as he's a power rusher who is also an NFL-ready run defender."

While Parker in the first round, at pick 25, would make a lot of sense for the Bears, if they want to wait until the second day of the NFL Draft, they have some options.

Penn State pass rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton would be a solid option for the Bears in the second or third round, as could Gabe Jacas out of Illinois.

Parker is the best fit, however, as not only is he a good scheme fit, but he's shown enough production in his career at Clemson that he'd be worth spending a first-round pick on.

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He had five sacks this season with 37 tackles, but a year ago, he had 11 sacks, 57 tackles, and six forced fumbles.

As Reid pointed out, he's not just a pass-rusher either; he's also a good run defender, which is even more of a plus for the Bears, who struggled to stop the run at times this season.

Dennis-Sutton and Jacas are more prolific pass rushers, with the Penn State lineman recording 8.5 sacks each of the last two seasons, while the Illinois pass rusher had eight sacks in 2024 and a remarkable 11 in 2025.

Any of these three pass rushers would make a lot of sense for the Bears in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. But, they will have a better idea of what kind of player they will need as Ryan Poles and company build out the roster before the draft in free agency.

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