The Chicago Bears made some moves early on the final day of the 2026 NFL Draft, making a trade with the Carolina Panthers to move up five picks to address an important need with the selection of cornerback Malik Muhammad at 124th overall.
Chicago traded picks 129 and 144 to Carolina for picks 124 and 166, essentially swapping fourth and fifth round picks, and allowing them to take the Texas Longhorns cornerback who should help fulfill the loss of Nahshon Wright who departed in free agency.
Muhammad is a very solid cornerback in coverage and should compete for the starting job in his rookie season, having to battle it out with Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith during training camp and the preseason. Opposing quarterbacks had low passer ratings when targeting Muhammad at Texas. He finished his collegiate career with 16 passes defended and three interceptions, but really highlighting his coverage skills, which would make him a great fit on the opposite end of Jaylon Johnson, one of the best coverage corners in the NFL.
Here’s our initial draft grade of Malik Muhammad for the Bears:
Grade: B+
Muhammad’s stats don’t jump off the page, but it’s simply because that he was shutting down wide receivers and not allowing many opportunities against him. With the aforementioned Jaylon Johnson on the other side, and a revamped safety position, the Bears secondary has a good mixture of both highly talented coverage corners and ballhawk safeties, a mix that should help them limit the amount of big plays made by opponents this upcoming season. With limited options on the board on the defensive line, Chicago landed a player who definitely helps the secondary, an area of need this offseason.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Grading the Bears’ selection of Malik Muhammad in 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
