# Gene Chamberlain: Chamberlain argues the Bears will again neglect the edge position in the draft — taking a cornerback in Round 1 of the 2027 draft and settling for a second-rounder or later at defensive end — while being forced into a trade for 35-year-old Khalil Mack to patch the pass rush this season. **Claimed:** Oct 14, 2026 **Pundit:** Gene Chamberlain — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/gene-chamberlain **Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi/montez-sweat-situation-shows-how-clueless-ryan-poles-is-about-edge-spot 3 checkable claims — 2 team draft slot calls and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call. It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. > They're going to need cornerbacks in the 2027 draft so they'll get one in Round 1. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Chicago Bears to pick “Round 1”** - Kind: Team Draft Slot Calls · About: Chicago Bears - Verdict: not settled yet - **Khalil Mack to move to Chicago Bears** - Kind: Trade and Signing Calls · About: Khalil Mack, Chicago Bears - Verdict: not settled yet - **Chicago Bears to pick “second-rounder or later” (picks 33–64)** - Kind: Team Draft Slot Calls · About: Chicago Bears - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bears - Khalil Mack — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/khalil-mack ## What others said about the same people - John Middlekauff on Caleb Williams: Middlekauff expects either Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson to win this year's MVP, calling them the two best players in the league. They are pessimistic on the Bears, forecasting six or seven wins and saying they'd bet Caleb Williams doesn't work out as a franchise quarterback. They also see Oklahoma's John Mattier as a first-round pick who'll be in the Heisman mix. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/deaaf3f6-e53e-4080-a0ca-d5f872b54c6a (scored 0) - Pete Prisco on Chicago Bears: Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dc43909b-bc7f-47aa-b208-5cf7c95844bc (scored 100) - Bryan DeArdo on Chicago Bears: DeArdo picks the Bears to beat the Buccaneers on Sunday night in a defensive game, predicting a 20-16 final score. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7b882443-b481-48fb-b19b-e7f989d85e46 (scored 97.62) - Danny Parkins on Chicago Bears: Parkins named the seven AFC teams they believe are already set as the playoff field, expects Chicago, Buffalo and Kansas City to win this week, took Green Bay over New England and Atlanta over Cincinnati outright, and kept Bills–Bears as their Super Bowl matchup with the Giants still winning the NFC East. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/272d1f8a-06f7-4b8b-8480-94d370ae5e6f (scored 100) - “Stanford Steve” Coughlin on Chicago Bears: Stanford Steve said the Bears would beat the Buccaneers on Sunday night, and called a player they referred to as "Yakis" their Rookie of the Year. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/eb50c9d5-281b-4810-b41b-a5d6da11c438 (scored 100) - Chris Simms on Chicago Bears: Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/17eb747a-90b1-472f-bb6d-e71c0c69133a (scored 97.62) ## More team draft slot calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Jake Riepma on Detroit Lions: Filling in on Locked On Lions, Jake Reitma dismisses ESPN's suggestion that Sam LaPorta could be traded, saying LaPorta stays in Detroit as part of the core four. They also break down the edge class ahead of the Lions' pick at No. 17, calling David Bailey the class's top edge prospect with Reuben Bain Jr. next, and picks the Pistons as the NBA's best team. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ece8f439-040b-4b4d-bfb3-d443e4129200 (scored 100) - David Harrison on New York Jets: Harrison proposes and defends a hypothetical trade sending Daron Payne plus a third- and sixth-round pick to the Raiders for Maxx Crosby, plus a follow-up trade of the No. 7 pick to the Jets for picks 16 and 33. They also state Fernando Mendoza is expected to go No. 1 overall to the Raiders, and floats the Jets taking David Bailey at No. 7 if they trade up. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/926fe128-ea39-4ffd-8704-90791347ee9e (scored 100) - Kent Swanson on Cincinnati Bengals: After the Chiefs' 14-12 loss to the Raiders, Kent laid out the resulting draft order: Kansas City picking ninth overall (and 40th in round two) in the 2026 draft, with New Orleans eighth, Cincinnati tenth, and the Raiders holding the No. 1 pick. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f65d9763-b3d3-476d-9f92-941deb6957ca (scored 26.11) - Chris Brockman on New York Giants: Chris Brockman said Baker Mayfield will finish no lower than third in MVP voting, named Kyle Shanahan the coach of the year front-runner, and predicted both the Giants and Jets will pick in the top five of next year's draft. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/cdde2d01-017b-4967-b1e9-ecfac647e306 (scored 100) - Rich Eisen on New York Jets: Rich Eisen reaffirmed their pick of the Lions to win the NFC while insisting the Eagles remain the team to beat, predicted the Colts beat the Cardinals on a last-second field goal, said the Chargers will not miss the playoffs, and expects Jake Browning to keep starting in Cincinnati and JJ McCarthy to return as Minnesota's starter. They also praised Jonathan Taylor as the best running back and OPOY-caliber, called Emeka Abuka the offensive rookie of the year, agreed Kyle Shanahan is the coach of the year front-runner, and said the Jets will pick in the top five. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/bdb0846e-88b6-4111-b16c-586fd6fc0435 (scored 100) - Chris Brockman on Cincinnati Bengals: Brockman argued only about five teams can realistically win the Super Bowl, naming the Bills, Eagles, Ravens and Chargers among them; they also picked Justin Herbert as MVP through three weeks, called the Colts a top-five team with Daniel Jones as an MVP finalist, said the Bears will finish top two in the NFC North, said the Bengals' season is cooked and they'll pick in the top 10, said the Rams are the only NFC threat to the Eagles, and said the Bucs have a team-of-destiny feel. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9a980b3d-dd79-4893-80c6-4ee9d9dcd028 (scored 26.11) --- 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. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=gene-chamberlain