# Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: In his 2027 NFL mock draft, he has the Bears selecting Ole Miss defensive tackle Will Echoles in the first round.

**Claimed:** Sep 3, 2026
**Pundit:** Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/michael-middlehurst-schwartz
**Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/sports-illustrated
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi/bears-predicted-to-continue-dl-overhaul-after-gervon-dexter-trade-by-drafting-ole-miss-prospect

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.

> With Gervon Dexter Sr. having been traded and Grady Jarrett carrying a $17.5 million cap hit into his age-34 season next year, the Bears might soon be staring at a nearly blank slate at defensive tackle

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Will Echoles to be picked “first round” (picks 1–32)**
  - Kind: Mock Draft Picks · About: Will Echoles, Chicago Bears
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Will Echoles — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/will-echoles
- Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/bears

## What others said about the same people

- Mike Moraitis on Ozzy Trapilo: Moraitis writes that although Braxton Jones has looked like the favorite, Ozzy Trapilo is likely to take over as the Bears' starting left tackle once he's healthy enough to play. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cdfe5f0f-6783-4730-b9bb-d942e28b037a (scored 0)
- Pete Martuneac on Ozzy Trapilo: After Trapilo's activation from the PUP list roughly seven months after rupturing his patellar tendon, Martuneac says the Bears' left tackle competition is over and Trapilo will be starting at left tackle early in the 2026 season, even if not by Week 1. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/d42f10ad-a71c-4ea9-95e8-2b53fde77971 (scored 0)
- Eric Cohen on Chicago Bears: Cohen says the Bears win easily in Carolina, and that Tennessee starts 1-0 over a Jets team he considers the third-worst in the league. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/37c0b874-cb1b-43c8-b78e-96a7b287ae62 (scored 100)
- Gene Chamberlain on Chicago Bears: Chamberlain picks the Bears to beat the Panthers in Week 1 at Charlotte, 34-30, giving Chicago the edge in the run game, passing game, pass defense and coaching. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e3f71681-dd59-4531-8ada-05079a4ee840 (scored 57.14)
- Danny Parkins on Chicago Bears: Parkins picked the Giants to upset Dallas, the Steelers to beat Atlanta by two scores, the Bears to beat Carolina, the Bills to beat Houston and Denver to beat Kansas City outright; he also said Justin Herbert will win an MVP and had the Bengals as AFC North champs. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/36c480cc-6b54-4cea-8204-3fc00ea6493c (scored 100)
- Kirk Herbstreit on Chicago Bears: Herbstreit made a full slate of Week 1 picks — Lions, Ravens, Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Packers and Cowboys — and also said he still thinks Seattle is the team to beat in the NFC West. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5bc3755c-9b84-484f-b8f2-b18d51a12261 (scored 100)

## More mock draft picks

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Rob Rang on Jeremiah Smith: Rang ranks the four headline prospects from the Texas-Ohio State game in the order he'd draft them (Jeremiah Smith, Arch Manning, Cam Coleman, Julian Sayin) and assigns each a draft grade: Smith and Manning as top-5 picks, Coleman top 10, and Sayin a third-rounder. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cd619cef-1878-4067-9021-a5ec734d35ed (scored 0)
- Gregg Rosenthal on Brandon Doughty: Rosenthal gave first reactions to Vegas win totals: overs on the Steelers, Broncos, Vikings, Buccaneers, 49ers and Cardinals, unders on the Falcons and Commanders, plus he expects Shedeur Sanders to start about 10-11 games and thinks the Cowboys' 9.5 is beatable. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/16ab5f5d-0f01-48ee-a1df-63c1b1996dc3 (scored 2.63)
- Peter Bukowski on Gennings Dunker: Bukowski breaks down Iowa offensive lineman Jennings Dunker as a Packers fit and puts a late second-/early third-round grade on him, noting that range overlaps where Green Bay picks. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/f77d920f-e5fe-4684-83b6-9105b6304d5b (scored 100)
- David Harrison on Eli Heidenreich: Harrison delivers his only first-round mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft, projecting all 32 first-round picks (including several trades) plus the rest of Washington's projected class, while noting it is an exercise in what could happen rather than a firm forecast. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5cc44fc1-4ff9-447a-9c32-5f715fa6e9ba (scored 100)
- Brian Peacock on Bud Clark: In his final 2026 mock draft for the 49ers, Peacock projects San Francisco taking WR Kevin Concepcion (KC) at pick 27, then after trading out of round two, edge rusher Kieron Crawford and safety Bud Clark in round three, OL Trey Zune and RB Jonah Coleman in round four, CB Charles Demings in round five and guard Caden Barnett in round six. He also thinks Omar Cooper comes off the board before Concepcion. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cc1842ef-bbb3-49c0-ad24-ec5db753c59b (scored 95.76)
- David Harrison on Riley Nowakowski: In his final mock draft Monday, Harrison has the Commanders trading back twice and selecting eight players: safety Dylan Thieneman at 16, WR Denzel Boston at 33, RB Mike Washington Jr. at 83, C Jagger Burton at 132, CB Julian Neal at 147, QB Cade Klubnik at 187, DB Lorenzo Styles Jr. at 209 and TE Riley Nowakowski in the seventh round. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e0151883-b7ac-4b3a-ae45-1cc58b32adb8 (scored 12.5)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

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