When the Chicago Bears selected Stanford tight end Sam Roush with the 69th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, fist bumps and hugs were handed out in the Roush household. One chapter is now closed, but his next - and biggest - still awaits him in Chicago.
Before he gets there, his Stanford legacy deserves one last look. He flew under the radar a bit due to the program's lack of competitive seasons on a team that didn't have the most complementary pieces surrounding him.
That's why he went from a potential Day 2 guy, or maybe even a Day 3 draftee when the season ended, to being an early third-rounder after the NFL Combine. His metrics just popped off the page.
Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stanford tight end Sam Roush (TE21) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Stanford is commonly referred to as Tight End U due to the number of tight ends that have gone from The Farm to the NFL. With Roush landing in Chicago, he is set to become the 21st Stanford tight end to play in the league since 1970. He is also the 283rd Cardinal to be drafted and the 58thsince 2010, the fourth-most among ACC schools.
This past season, Roush really stood out in the passing game, catching 49 passes for 545 yards and a two touchdowns. He also led ACC tight ends in receiving yards and tied for the most receptions. Nationally, Roush finished top-10 in receptions and receiving yards at his position.
Roush is also the eighth Cardinal tight end dating back to 1995 to go over 100 receiving yards in a contest, which he accomplished against the Pitt Panthers on November 1 when he racked up 104. In that game he hauled in a pass and then took it 53 yards, making it his second-longest reception of the season. His longest was a 69-yard score against Boston College.
He was just one of five ACC tight ends to catch two passes of over 50 yards this season.
Over the course of his career at Stanford, he piled up 119 receptions for 1,201 receiving yards with four touchdowns. Dating back to 1956, only Coby Fleener , Zach Ertz , Benjamin Yurosek , Bob Moore, and Alex Smith have had more career receiving yards among Stanford tight ends.
Fleener (2008-11) finished his Cardinal career with 96 receptions, 1,543 yards and 18 TDs. Ertz (2010-12) followed him right up with 112 catches, 1,434 yards and 15 scores, including a dominant campaign in his senior season which he totaled 898 receiving yards.
Yurosek (2020-23) played four years at Stanford and then transferred to Georgia for a fifth campaign. He started off strong as a sophomore, but his production fell each season, and he ended up with 1,342 yards with the Cardinal on 108 catches.
Bob Moore (1967-1970) started his college career as a running back his freshman season, carrying the ball once for two yards. The final three years he slotted in at tight end and finished with 99 receptions and 1,399 receiving yards. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 1971 draft.
Smith (2001-04) was a complementary piece for his first three seasons, but really broke out as a senior, putting up 52 receptions for 706 yards and three TDs. He finished his stint at Stanford with 107 catches, 1,291 yards and eight touchdowns. Smith was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 71st overall pick in 2005.
Roush is now the 16thStanford tight end selected in the NFL Draft since 1970, and the eighth in the last 15 years. Parkinson was the most recent Stanford tight end draftee back in 2020. Roush also became the highest draft pick from the Farm since Walker Little back in 2021, who was taken 45th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars .
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/stanford as Sam Roush Is Going to Chicago, But His Stanford Career Deserves a Proper Send-Off .
