15 Bears To Watch During 2026 NFL Draft

Thursday marks the beginning of the 2026 NFL Draft, and this time around, several players with Cal ties hope to hear their names called from Pittsburgh.

Here are the names to keep tabs on during and after the draft.

Current Bears:

CB Hezekiah Masses: 

The fourth-year senior from Florida played cornerback for the Bears in 2025 and led the nation with 13 passes defensed. 

Masses, who started all 13 of Cal’s games, finished tied for third in the country with five interceptions and also made 47 combined tackles.

“Cal did a lot (for me),” Masses said at Cal’s Pro Day. “They got me bigger, stronger. I thank Coach (Jason) Novak, Coach (Allen Brown), Coach (Terrence Brown); they just prepared me the right way on the field and off the field.” 

Masses spent his first three seasons at Florida International and collected 12 passes defensed, 105 combined tackles and two interceptions over 36 games.

Most draft projections have Masses as a fifth- or sixth-round selection and as the Bear with the highest odds to be picked.

CB Brent “Paco” Austin:

Like Masses, Austin spent one season in the Blue and Gold and started every game.

The San Bernardino native finished tied with Masses at 13 passes defensed with 42 combined tackles.

"The guys that have come out of Cal have put this place on a pedestal," Austin said at Cal’s Pro Day. "People are expecting good defensive backs to come from here. The opportunity to play at Cal, where these guys have set the standard, was the biggest selling point."

Austin spent his first two seasons at James Madison and his third at South Florida. Before joining the Bears, he totaled 68 combined tackles, 10 passes defensed and three interceptions — including a pick-six.

Before anything else, Austin will always have his classic peanut punch against North Carolina to save the game for the Bears on his résumé.

But he is projected to be a late-round pick or to go undrafted.

RB LJ Johnson Jr.:

Johnson, a fifth-year senior, served as a depth piece behind Kendrick Raphael throughout last season.

He saw 38 touches — 34 rushes and four receptions — in his lone Berkeley season, scoring a pair of touchdowns, including one in the Bears’ thrilling win at Boston College.

“That’s exactly why I’m here, to showcase what I can do for my last year,” Johnson told Bear Insider in August.

Johnson, from Texas, played two seasons a piece at Texas A&M and SMU before finishing his collegiate career at Cal.

Johnson is projected to go undrafted. However, he should have a reasonable shot of earning an NFL opportunity.

DL T.J. Bollers

Bollers spent his first three seasons at Wisconsin before calling Berkeley home for his final two.

The Iowa native recorded 65 combined tackles and two tipped passes over two seasons (25 games) with the Bears. For the Badgers, Bollers made just two tackles over three years.

“The first time I came out here in 2019, that was my first visit out here, I was able to see the place and I absolutely loved it,” Bollers told me for The Daily Californian in October. “And again, the academics, it was a huge part.”

Bollers is projected to go undrafted — but he’ll have plenty of things to do beyond football if he chooses, with interests in sports broadcasting and DJing.

S Dru Polidore Jr.:

Polidore, a fifth-year senior, did a solid job filling in for the injured Isaiah Crosby.

The Texas native started nine games over his lone season in the Bay and steadily made 62 combined tackles.

“(Cal) definitely helped me, just being in a pro-style defense,” Polidore said at Cal’s Pro Day.

Polidore redshirted at Air Force to start his career, and then earned 50 combined tackles, one interception and one pass defensed over three seasons at Montana State.

Like Johnson, Polidore is projected to go undrafted, but should have a reasonable shot of earning some sort of NFL opportunity.

OL Jordan Spasojevic-Moko:

The 335-pounder from the land down under’s best ability was availability.

In his lone season with the Bears, Spasojevic-Moko was one of eight Cal players to start every game.

“I think a lot of things,” Spasojevic-Moko told Bear Insider in August about what stands out about Cal. “I’m going to state the obvious: it’s a really prestigious institution … I wanted to be a part of trying to bring back the glory.” 

Spasojevic-Moko was once the top JUCO offensive tackle and also spent time with Texas A&M and Charlotte.

His last moments in the Blue and Gold were spent in a brawl after Cal’s loss in the Hawai'i Bowl. Spasojevic-Moko is projected to go undrafted.

Past Bears:

QB Fernando Mendoza:

Mendoza will likely be the Las Vegas Raiders’ selection with the No. 1 pick …

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and national champion completed 273 passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns throughout a perfect 16-0 season with Indiana.

Mendoza, of course, spent his first three collegiate years at Cal, where he completed 418 passes for 4,712 yards and 30 touchdowns over two seasons at the helm, or 20 games.

“To my Cal family, thank you for being the first to believe in my future,” Mendoza said during his Heisman acceptance speech. “Thank you for the opportunity, thank you for educating me, giving me the foundation that enabled me to grow into the person I am today.”

There was once a Mendoza Burrito at La Burrita.

TE Jack Endries:

Endries, Mendoza’s roommate in Berkeley, was a top target for Cal’s offense before transferring to Texas for the 2025 season.

After starting his career as a local walk-on from Danville, Endries, who redshirted the 2022 season like Mendoza, recorded 91 receptions for 1,030 yards and four scores over two seasons with the Bears.

“I definitely still feel myself identifying with Cal, rooting for Cal,” Endries told Sports Illustrated’s Jeff Faraudo in June. “Who knows … if I ever make it to Monday Night Football, I think I would definitely say I played for Cal.”

Endries made 33 receptions for 346 yards and three touchdowns in his lone season with Arch Manning and the Longhorns.

He is projected to be a fifth- or sixth-round pick.

RB Jaydn Ott:

Another former pillar of Cal football, Ott had a mysterious year with Oklahoma.

The fourth-year senior barely saw the field with the Sooners. However, his first two seasons with the Bears were so promising — and his Senior Bowl showing was reinvigorating — giving Ott a chance to hear his name called as a late-round flyer.

“I'm putting it all in God's hands,” Ott said at Cal’s Pro Day about his draft odds. “If I do, I do. If not, man, it's all good.”

Ott, from Chino, saw 627 touches for 3,333 yards and 30 touchdowns over three seasons at Cal; he saw merely 75 snaps for Oklahoma. 

WR J. Michael Sturdivant:

Sturdivant was a standout redshirt freshman with the Bears in 2022 before bouncing around to close his collegiate career.

The Texas native recorded 65 catches for 755 yards and seven touchdowns for Cal, but his production continually declined after two seasons at UCLA and his final campaign with the Gators.

Sturdivant is projected to be a sixth- or seventh-round pick.

LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr:

A product of nearby Hayward, Elarms-Orr was an up-and-comer in Berkeley before becoming a very good player at TCU.

The fourth-year senior recorded 92 combined tackles and five passes defensed for the Bears in 2023, but after being a reserve with the Horned Frogs in 2024, he finished his collegiate career with an impressive 130 combined tackles and four sacks in 2025.

Elarms-Orr is projected to be a fourth-round pick.

DB Jeremiah Earby:

From East Palo Alto, Earby played his first two seasons at Cal before his last two at Boise State.

He collected 62 combined tackles, 17 passes defensed, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries over 24 games with the Bears.

“It’s exactly what I thought it would have been,” Earby told Bear Insider in 2022 about Cal. “It’s Cal. Be a good person (and) be a good citizen, in and out of football.”

Earby upped his game with the Broncos, making 94 combined tackles, five interceptions, 16 passes defensed and two more fumble recoveries.

Earby, though, is projected to go undrafted.

LB Hunter Barth:

Barth was a rotational piece at Cal for four seasons before spending his fifth and final campaign with … Stanford.

He redshirted his first year in Berkeley but made 65 combined tackles over the next three seasons. For the Cardinal, Barth made 32 combined tackles over 12 games.

He was victorious in all five of his Big Games.

In-Limbo Bears:

WR Jacob DeJesus and DL Aidan Keanaaina are each vying for additional eligibility and would likely return to Cal if the opportunity presented itself; however, they are still awaiting an answer.

“It changed my life,” De Jesus said of Cal at the Bears’ Pro Day. “To have the year that I did, this was just truly a blessing from God. I really give him all the glory. Cal changed my life …”