The Bears were surprisingly quiet attacking the defensive line with their approach to the 2026 NFL Draft, but they added an intriguing athlete at defensive tackle in Wake Forest’s Jayden Loving.

After starting off his collegiate career at Bethune-Cookman, Loving spent 2023 and 2024 at Western Kentucky before transferring to Wake Forest for his final year of collegiate eligibility. He got on NFL radars for his ability to stop the run at every stop he went to.

Loving’s stock rose tremendously after dominating at the Demon Deacons’ Pro Day, putting together 99th-percentile testing for the defensive tackle position. His athletic profile perfectly fits with the all-green athletic profile haul Chicago put together with their draft picks. Here’s my analysis of Loving as a prospect.

2025 PFSN DT Impact Score: 78.7 (17th for ACC defensive tackles)

List of accomplishments: 2025 honorable mention All-ACC

THREAD: New #Bears DT Jayden Loving is a freak athlete worth developing as a UDFA signing.

With a lower center of gravity, Jayden Loving has good pad level and can win with leverage at the LOS.He has good spatial awareness, and he can push-pull and stack-shed to make tackles. #Bears pic.twitter.com/e5NkykpyhR

There are plenty of times where you see elite closing speed in Jayden Loving’s tape.His ability to chase down QBs and RBs outside of the tackles reflects his 4.82 40-yard dash he ran at his Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/W1ZXK4fHTE

Going back to the pad level, Jayden Loving converts speed to power well at the point of attack.His stout frame and strong anchor sees him deal with double teams well, and he can generate push at the point of attack. #Bears pic.twitter.com/AwB5FPktip

Here’s Jayden Loving’s RAS card. Shorter DT with shorter arms, but you see elite athleticism there.Loving fits Chicago’s system perfectly. He’s worth keeping in the organization with how high his ceiling is. I’m stoked to see him in camp. #Bears pic.twitter.com/9x2Rnnh69B