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Chicago Bears 2026 Draft Class: Rookie Impact
Jul 3, 2026Ryan McCrystalSharp Football Analysis
Getting things ready
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Player mentions
Caleb Williams
QB · CHI · #general
...aningful way, it will reflect poorly on Poles’ approach to building around Caleb Williams. <a href="https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/warren-sharp-book-n...
Colston Loveland
TE · CHI · #general
...m Roush (third round) was a bizarre selection for a team that just drafted Colston Loveland and still has Cole Kmet under contract for two more years. Roush is a deve...
Sam Roush
TE · CHI · #injuryupdate
...their way. Jones is the favorite to win that training camp battle. Sam Roush (third round) was a bizarre selection for a team that just drafted Colston...
Zavion Thomas
WR · CHI · #general
...ne who, hopefully, develops into the No. 2 tight end down the road. Zavion Thomas (third round) was arguably the most egregious reach of the entire draft. T...
Cole Kmet
TE · CHI · #general
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The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview . In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps, as well as draft class analysis from Ryan McCrystal. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2026 Football Preview . Every team is excited about their incoming class of rookies, but how will those new players affect each team in 2026? Let's look at the Chicago Bears, breaking down the most likely instant-impact rookies from their class while also providing some insight into why certain early picks may not see the field. Chicago Bears 2026 Draft Class: Which Rookies Will Make an Impact? Dillon Thieneman (first round) looked like one of the steals of Day 1. Before the draft, I compared Thieneman to Kevin Byard, who just departed Chicago as a free agent, so the fit makes perfect sense. In the short term, however, Thieneman might see more action in the Jaquon Brisker role in the defense since Chicago signed Coby Bryant, a less versatile free safety. Thieneman showed off elite range as a ball hawk in Purdue’s secondary as a freshman and sophomore, but also demonstrated an ability to play in the box consistently during his one season at Oregon. Last year with the Ducks, Thieneman recorded 99 tackles while missing just 7.5% of his attempts, the second-lowest rate out of 74 qualifiers at the safety position. Chicago used two-high coverages 40% of the time last year, so Thieneman will still get his opportunities to be a ball hawk, and his versatility will fit well into Dennis Allen’s defense. The selection of Logan Jones (second round) may have been a slight reach, but he fills an immediate need at center. The Bears signed Garrett Bradbury in free agency to play center, but that cheap one-year deal was likely an insurance policy in case the draft didn’t fall their way. Jones is the favorite to win that training camp battle. Sam Roush (third round) was a bizarre selection for a team that just drafted Colston Loveland and still has Cole Kmet under contract for two more years. Roush is a developmental prospect with intriguing size and athletic traits, but he was misused at Stanford as a pure in-line tight end with few opportunities to stretch the field and show off his athleticism. It would make sense for Chicago to get out of Kmet’s contract after the 2026 season to save some cap space, so there’s a path to an increased role for Roush in 2027. However, a third-round pick is a steep price to pay for someone who, hopefully, develops into the No. 2 tight end down the road. Zavion Thomas (third round) was arguably the most egregious reach of the entire draft. Thomas is a capable return specialist, but never developed as a receiver despite plenty of opportunities during his four years at Mississippi State and LSU. Chicago clearly fell in love with Thomas’ elite speed 一 he ran 4.28 in the 40-yard dash 一 but he is purely a track athlete with limited change-of-direction skills and ability to make defenders miss. Based on route-adjusted data, Thomas generated 20% fewer yards after the catch than expected over the course of his career and fell below average by that metric in each of his four seasons. Malik Muhammad (fourth round) has potential as a developmental cornerback prospect and was good value early on Day 3. He was beaten downfield at a surprising rate during his career at Texas, which explains why he fell to Day 3 despite imp…