Nick McCloud

CB·

Chicago Bears

Tier 8Undrafted in 2021

Updated October 30, 2026

66.7

Model Score

Same as last year

Trade value ·a 7th

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Nick McCloud is a CB for the Chicago Bears on a deal paying $1.2M a year through 2026, a $776K cap hit in 2026 (updated October 30, 2026).

Model Score by season

Holding at 66.7.

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

A journeyman corner whose one great year was situational.

The case for

2023 tier 2 (#16) STTM peak as a 2021 NC State UDFA puts him in the rare outlier-positive journeyman class.
Five years of NFL survival across four teams gives him real plug-in CB veteran depth value.

The worry

100-spot regression from tier 2 (#16) in 2023 to tier 8 (#116) in 2024 confirms the elite peak was situational.
Chicago's broader defensive identity transition compresses the structural support around McCloud.

What to watch: Whether McCloud holds tier 8 or better in 2026 with the Bears or whether the role compresses to swing depth.

Full take and bio

2023 tier 2 (#16) STTM peak as a 2021 NC State UDFA puts McCloud in the rare outlier-positive journeyman class. The 100-spot regression from tier 2 (#16) in 2023 to tier 8 (#116) in 2024 plus the 2025 tier 8 (#101) confirms the elite peak was situational. The 2026 question is whether McCloud holds tier 8 with the Bears or whether the role compresses to swing depth.

McCloud came out of NC State as a 2021 undrafted free agent signed by the Buffalo Bills. He delivered a tier 2 (#16) STTM peak in 2023 with the Giants before signing with the Chicago Bears in 2025. His STTM career runs tier 6 (#43) in 2022, tier 2 (#16) peak in 2023, tier 8 (#116) collapse in 2024, and tier 8 (#101) in 2025.