Chicago Bears Draft Review: Hitting the Nail on the Head

Some people feel that the Chicago Bears had one of their better drafts in recent memory this year. While it’s hard to top what they were able to do in 2025, at least right now, it looks like this year’s draft was a good one and will help bring the Bears closer to a Super Bowl championship.

Depending on who you talk to, there are some who rave strongly about all the players the Bears drafted, while there are some who are skeptical about at least a couple of early picks. Everyone has an opinion, and we know you really can’t judge a draft until the third year after it happens because it takes players some time to fully develop. Sure, some hit the ground running in their first year, but others take three years to get going.

So how did the Bears do in the 2026 NFL Draft? Let’s take a quick look at the Bears’ first four draft picks to see who was a quality pick, who might not have been, and how they can help the Bears.

This is part one of two.

Safety First

The Bears went defense for the first time in a long time and grabbed Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. The Bears purged their safety positions after last season and began a rebuild, which included Coby Bryant and Elijha Hicks. The safety position has instantly become one of the best in the league, provided Thieneman can step up and adapt to the pro game.

He should be able to do that.

Coupled with Bryant, the Bears’ safeties will be flying to the football, creating turnovers and causing offensive coordinators fits. Add healthy cornerbacks like Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, and the Bears’ secondary could be a great one.

The value of the pick was huge, and the Bears will gain great dividends on defense thanks to selecting Thieneman. He’s going to be awesome!

Center of Attention

The Bears wasted no time in working on a spot that was of great need heading into the draft: the center position. Even though Garrett Bradbury looks to be the center in the near-term, their draft pick, Logan Jones, appears to be the guy they will be able to count on going into the future. He’s a decorated prospect, but what’s more important is that he is a great center and should be able to stick with the Bears for a long time.

You won’t see Jones in the lineup to start, as he’ll sit behind Bradbury and learn the ways of the NFL before he takes control. He will then move through the next few seasons as the Bears’ offensive line lynchpin. While some people are crying foul over the pick, thinking that he may not have been the best center available, if you watched him play at Iowa (I did!), you’ll see an amazing offensive lineman, a leader, and a true tough guy. He’ll be the starter in year two and be an all-pro for many seasons.

Too Many Tight Ends?

The Bears went for a tight end with their next pick. This left a few people scratching their heads. Why so many tight ends? Well, head coach Ben Johnson has a plan, and his plan is to use a lot of tight ends to help move the ball through the air and on the ground. It’s going to be a fun time watching the Bears on offense with these guys playing. Imagine them on the field at once.

But there are some who think that Chicago really hit with this pick. Even though the selection of Sam Roush was a bit of a stretch, if he can show up and contribute the way Johnson wants him to, then the sky will be the limit for this young man. He could prove to be a dangerous blocker in the running game, which could be one of the biggest reasons the Bears drafted him in the first place.

And if he can contribute to the running game, the Bears could end up with one of the more potent rushing attacks in the league.

Rounding out the Third

The Bears’ final pick in the third round came at number eighty-nine as they snatched a player who left many wondering why they picked him. Wide receiver Zavion Thomas was a guy that not many thought would even be taken in the third round. The need was there for an edge rusher or an interior defensive lineman, and one could have been taken at this spot. But the Bears decided to stick with playmakers of offense and grab Thomas here.

Thomas is a speedster with some promise, but he was clearly a reach. He’s light, smallish, but could possibly find some life in the return game and leave Khalif Raymond to being more of a wide receiver than a return specialist. That’s dependent on just how well Thomas does in training camp. But for now, the biggest question is, will he even make the roster? We’ll see what happens. It appears as if the Bears were high on him at that spot in the draft. This, despite the fact that some felt he could have been picked up in a later round. But speed speaks volumes to some, so the Bears bit on it. Let’s hope it doesn’t come back to bite them.

In the End

The first part of the Bears’ 2026 NFL Draft left people wondering why they would select Roush and Thomas. These are the two biggest question marks in this year’s draft for the Bears. Everyone else, as we have seen and will see, was a great choice. The Bears did some amazing things in the first part of the draft with Thielman and Jones. If Roush can step in and perform as the team hopes, the offense could be great.

We’ll look at the second half of the draft in our next post!