Good morning, Bears fans!
Did we just experience all of the feelings during the three days of the NFL Draft? I think we did. Can’t remember a draft that played out quite like that one.
We’ll get into the draft fully below, but first I want you to take notice of the four gray stars above this box.👆 You’ll learn what they represent at the bottom of the newsletter.
— Kevin Kaduk
01 NFL Draft
Bears go all defense on Day 3
After raising a mini-ruckus with three offensive picks on Day 2, Ryan Poles and Co. summoned some help for Dennis Allen’s defense with Texas CB Malik Muhammad, Arizona State LB Keyshaun Elliott and Georgia Tech DT Jordan van den Berg.
02 NFL Draft
Caleb teammate leads UDFAs
USC QB Miller Moss highlighted the list of undrafted free agent signings, though Caden “The Vanilla Gorilla” Barnett garnered plenty of attention. Windy City Gridiron has the full list of UDFAs and rookie minicamp invites.
03 Stadium News
Hammond mayor speaks out
“We’re not being played,” Thomas McDermott told NBC 5 Chicago. You sure about that, Tom?
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Takeaways From The Draft
So everybody loves Dillon Thieneman.
After that?
Well, the Bears selections in the 2026 NFL Draft drove a wide range of opinions.
That’s probably how it should be for a team with expectations this high.
But the only opinion that matters, of course, belongs to Ben Johnson. The Bears coach is tasked with building Chicago’s first Super Bowl winner in over 40 years and, from the sounds of it, happily shares a pair of three-legged pants with Ryan Poles on draft weekends.
Getting a good coach into your building and then giving him the ingredients gets you halfway to building a winner. The other half is the coach actually doing his job and there aren’t many Bears fans who haven’t bought in on him after the last season.
So while I was initially a little riled after seeing a TE3 taken at pick 69 and a gadget WR at 89, a night of sleep (and then some solid defensive picks on Day 3) made me feel a lot better.
We can’t hope for a great offensive coach like Ben Johnson and then get upset when he starts doing everything we hoped he would do.
A few more takeaways:
My favorite pick was Malik Muhammad at 124. The Texas CB was graded a Day 2 pick by many and to get him in the fourth rates a steal. His presence solidifies the secondary room even further and gives Tyrique Stevenson/Terrell Smith some good competition. If all goes well, he’ll be as important to this team as the last Texas CB the Bears drafted in the fourth round … Nathan Vasher, one of the most unsung players on the Lovie-era Bears.
My least favorite? I’m all for giving Johnson what he wants, but Zavion Thomas at 89 screams luxury pick with Kalif Raymond already in the fold. If Dennis Allen has to “coach up” what he has on the defensive line, I’m not certain why Johnson can’t take some of his own medicine here. (I reserve the right to forget writing this when Thomas scores his first touchdown off a DJ Moore-type backfield look.)
I need to see something out of the third-fourth round picks because the Bears won’t have any sustained success if Ryan Poles keeps swinging and missing when the front office gets deeper in the draft. Thomas, Muhammed and Sam Roush, the pressure is on you to not join a list that includes Velus Jones Jr., Tyler Scott, Zacch Pickens and others.
OK, let’s talk about the defensive line — or lack thereof. If I had told you that 19 teams would take an EDGE in this draft, you would have assumed the rush-needy Bears would have been one of them. But their path in the draft was sealed the minute that Thieneman fell to them. Making the steal there assured that an already-weak class of EDGE would be even less attractive the next time their picks came around. Like it or not, it’s probably more prudent to wait out some of the bad money on the current line and wait for next year’s draft/free agent class than do something just to do something.
The Bears placed a premium on pure athletes, as evidenced by the fact the team’s draft class placed first on the average NGS athleticism score and second in average RAS. Both metrics can be overvalued, but I’ll hold out hope this is where a good coaching staff really matters. I also agree with BN’s Luis Medina: Last year’s Bears looked a step behind in some of their losses when it came to elite athleticism.
Logan Jones and Keyshaun Elliott both turning into future captains would be a nice outcome of this draft.
So that’s where I’m at. I’d love to hear some of your takes on this draft class. Just hit reply on this email to hit me with your boldest prediction.
"It's weird. I'll sit next to Ryan when those scouts are in there, and I almost feel like we can feel each other a little bit, which is unique for a couple of guys that really haven't done it together for a very long time yet.”
Here’s how the Bears draft graded out on the national scene:
Outlet | Grade |
|---|---|
NFL.com (Reuter) | A- |
SI (Verderame) | B- |
ESPN (Kiper) | B |
CBS Sports (Bahns) | B- |
Yahoo (Tice/McDonald) | B |
Matt Miller says this 2026 draft is the one that will put the Bears over the top and into the Super Bowl. (ESPN)
Jordan van den Berg has an interesting story: His grandfather was a five-time Mr. South Africa bodybuilder, his grandmother set multiple South African swimming record and, oh, he already owns a laundromat. (Sports Illustrated)
Olin Kreutz’s son was invited to rookie minicamp. (Heavy)
Zavion Thomas was rated as one of the draft’s biggest reaches. (The Athletic)
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