The Chicago Bears have finalized their 2026 NFL Draft class headlined by Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with an obvious theme standing out from all seven new additions.
The final results for the Chicago Bears' 2026 draft class are in with seven new rookies set to join the roster.
Head coach Ben Johnson eliminated all doubts about who's in charge in this building with the draft the Bears put together. All of the selections added more speed to the offense and were perfect scheme fits for Johnson's offense or Dennis Allen's defense.
Most importantly, the top players are all big-game players. Chicago has high Super Bowl expectations and finally started building the depth needed to reach that level.
General manager Ryan Poles said the odds of landing Dillon Thieneman were basically 50/50 based on the pre-draft simulations he ran for the first-round. The odds ended up working out in Chicago's favor after teams like the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers passed on the do-it-all defensive back.
Adding Thieneman gives Chicago a second versatile safety to pair with Coby Bryant and allows defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to finally get creative with his disguise coverages . Thieneman checks every single box the Bears could have hoped for.
Landing a top center was a priority for head coach Ben Johnson after losing Drew Dalman . Yes, the Bears made the trade for Garrett Bradbury , but the team views him as a immediate solution to the problem. Logan Jones is the new long-term center for this offense and gets a great veteran to learn from before taking over.
Fittingly, experts compared Jones to Dalman, making him the ideal fit for this offense with the high IQ to handle all of the responsibilities Johnson will eventually throw his way.
The loss of Durham Smythe
was an underrated departure in free agency. He was an unsung hero of Chicago's offense in 2025 and Johnson just told us all how important he views the position by using a Top-100 pick on a TE3.
Sam Roush is way more athletic than Smythe and gives Chicago an exciting TE3 to pair with Cole Kmet
and Colston Loveland
. He's one of the top blocking tight ends
in the class and can help dig out defensive ends while being a sneaky option to watch off play-action.
This selection got a lot of criticism when it was made because of his ranking on the "consensus" board. To me, I trust Ben Johnson with his own offense and the kind of players he wants to add to his unit. Zavion Thomas is a burner and the fastest player the Bears have ever drafted.
Thomas can be a dangerous weapon for Chicago both on offense and as a return man. I get the concerns given the comparisons to Velus Jones
Jr. but I don't agree with that mindset
. Johnson will find a role for Thomas and actually use that speed within the scheme both as a vertical threat and as a horizonal gadget guy (sweeps/screens).
Malik Muhammad in the fourth-round was great value giving Chicago a player that can play inside or outside. Muhammad can walk in and immediately compete for the starting outside CB position with Tyrique Stevenson
or at least be a dime defender playing inside along with Kyler
Gordon.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is going to spend countless hours drawing up disguises and blitzes using this retooled secondary.
Keyshaun Elliott was another great value pickup by the Bears on Day 3. Elliott was considered one of the top linebackers in the class and widely praised for his leadership and maturity within the Sun Devils' program.
He was also an incredibly productive player against the run and attacking the quarterback (seven sacks in 2025). Over time, Elliott can take over the green dot role and start his career as a special teams ace.
With the final pick in the draft, after trading up, the Bears finally addressed the defensive line adding an absolute freak athlete to the interior of the defensive line. Jordan van den Berg is raw as a player but has unbelieve traits and NFL size. It'll be fun to watch the Bears mold him behind multiple veterans at the position.
Round 1, No. 25: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
Round 2, No. 57: Logan Jones, C, Iowa
Round 3, No. 69: Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
Round 3, No. 89: Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU
Round 4, No. 124: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
Round 5, No. 166: Keyshaun Elliott, LB, Arizona State
Round 6, No. 213: Jordan van den Berg, DT, Georgia Tech
People will complain about this draft class for the sheer fact that no top DEs were added to boost the pass rush. However, the Bears added some real difference-makers on both sides of the ball that head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen believe in. I trust them more than armchair GMs watching the draft on their TV.
As for the DE position, general manager Ryan Poles is banking on Montez Sweat , Austin Booker , Shemar Turner , and Dayo Odeyingbo stepping up in the second Year 2 in this system with all of the new upgrades added to the other defensive positions.
