The Chicago Bears welcomed seven new rookies to the roster during the 2026 NFL Draft, which included first-round safety Dillon Thieneman, who was considered a steal at 25th overall.
Chicago also added some new offensive pieces for Ben Johnson with center Logan Jones, tight end Sam Roush and wide receiver Zavion Thomas, while adding some new defensive players in cornerback Malik Muhammad, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg. While it’s not the flashiest class, it’s one assembled by Johnson and GM Ryan Poles that one analyst believes will be the thing to get the Bears to the Super Bowl.
Over the past few days, our Bears Wire staff has been sharing their thoughts about the 2026 rookie class. We’re wrapping things up with our initial grades for Chicago’s 2026 class before they even step on the field.
Alyssa Barbieri: B
The Bears went into the draft looking for specific players: Speed, athleticism and scheme fit, and it’s hard to deny that’s what they were able to accomplish with this seven-player class. Dillon Thieneman was an absolute steal in the first round, and Ben Johnson was looking to the future with the Logan Jones selection. Sam Roush and Zavion Thomas were surprising picks, of course, but it’s hard to doubt Johnson when he’s adding players to fit what he’s trying to accomplish on offense. Day 3 could wind up being the thing that impacts this draft class the most. They added some potential steals in Malik Muhammad, Keyshaun Elliott and Jordan van den Berg.
Overall, I’m looking at how the Bears approached the draft and how they stayed true to their intentions, which was to select the best available and not reach just because of positional need. But positional need is also a key factor when you consider the weakest point of the roster looks nearly identical, at least with the starters, to last season. Granted, they lost several defensive lineman to injury at some point of the season (Austin Booker, Dayo Odeyingbo, Shemar Turner). It’s likely Chicago attributes the defensive line struggles last season to injuries, and if that’s the case, they better hope for better production from that group. So, for now, a solid B feels like a good evaluation. It’s good, not great. But, again, this is just an initial evaluation before these players have even stepped foot on the field.
Brendan Sugrue: B
I’ve been covering the Bears for the better part of a decade and this is probably the most difficult draft class I’ve had to evaluate in that time. Their best selection was at safety, a position that doesn’t have the same value as others, they failed to land an impactful pass rusher, and their three Day 2 picks are not expected to be Week 1 contributors. At first glance, that doesn’t sound ideal, especially for a team that has aspirations of going deep into the postseason.
But then we look back at last year and how little the rookies played early on in part thanks to the veterans in front of them before they broke out midway through the season. Good teams draft and develop to fill holes before they’re created. We’re not used to that in Chicago, so this group should look better in a year or so when players such as Thieneman, Jones, Roush, and Muhammad have chances to start. I would have preferred to see the Bears take a swing at edge rusher, a position that has eluded Poles in the draft for five years in a row, but I believe they landed 3-4 impact players who will be quality starters for the foreseeable future. And that’s a solid draft in any year.
Mike Pendleton: B
The draft class as a whole is incredibly intriguing, and general manager Ryan Poles gets an opportunity to rebuild his draft decisions now based on the fact that head coach Ben Johnson is with him. This is only year 2 for the Johnson and Poles relationship, so the entire draft strategy has changed, and going off of last year, it’s hard to fault the picks made by these two men in charge.
They didn’t address the edge rusher position, but quite frankly, their belief that the talent is already on the roster, will come down to their coaching and effort into those players. There are three names that will define this class of rookies: Dillon Thieneman, Logan Jones, and Jordan van den Berg, the sixth-round defensive tackle. That’s not to say the others don’t have talent, it’s more so that they could have the most immediate impact. Chicago drafted for fit and style, and it’s too soon to question that strategy by Ben Johnson.
Vincent Parise: B
The Bears get a B. It is not an A because of their inability to properly address the defensive line. That may be a huge miss overall, but they clearly have a philosophy within their football operations that suggests that they can get by without it for now. They believe in the players they already had in place and their defensive structure.
The reason it’s a B, and not lower, is because most of the players they did take are phenomenal at their position. They got one of the draft’s best safeties, centers, and blocking tight ends. They also added depth to their overall roster over the course of the three days. Are the Bears a better football team now than they were entering the draft? Yes they are, and that’s the most important thing when evaluating the event as a whole.
Preston Zbroszczyk: B-
Chicago went against the grain of drafting needs especially on the defensive line, but they did draft a bunch of versatile athletic players who fit their style of play. They got good value on players in the later rounds with Muhammad and Jordan Van Den Berg and Keyshaun Elliott. But now we see how this all works out. Lots of the draft picks like Logan Jones, Muhammad and Thieneman will immediately compete for roster spots while the rest try and see if they can make an impact anywhere.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Initial grades for Chicago Bears’ 2026 rookie draft class
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Brendan Sugrue, Mike Pendleton, Vincent Parise and Preston Zbroszczyk , Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
