Bears rookie Malik Muhammad is actively honing his skills by dissecting the game film of a Pro Bowl teammate.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and that's what Chicago Bears rookie Malik Muhammad is going for.
Muhammad was one of the seven draft picks that the Bears made this past weekend. He was among Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, Iowa center Logan Jones, Stanford tight end Sam Roush, LSU receiver Zavion Thomas, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan Van Den Berg.
Muhammad played college football at Texas for three seasons. He compiled 97 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, one sack and three interceptions during his time in the Longhorn State.
Chicago decided to take him in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He filled a need for the Bears after they lost both Nahshon Wright and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
The cornerback room now contains Jaylon Johnson. Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Muhammad, Zah Frazier, K.C. Eziomume, Dontae Manning, Jaylon Jones, Terrell Smith, Dallis Flowers and Josh Blackwell.
In a recent interview, Muhammad shared that he has been studying the film of Jaylon Johnson, who is already on the roster.
“In a couple of my interviews, if they were to ask me who were some of the corners that I watch in the league, I would mention Jaylon Johnson and be like ‘he’s actually nice.’" Muhammad said. "I don’t watch a lot of the new age corners. I’m really like an old school corner, but Jaylon Johnson is one of the guys that I mention.”
Choosing to watch Johnson's film is definitely a good decision. The two-time Pro Bowler can absolutely help him improve as a young cornerback.
His production fell last season, but that was because of a hamstring injury that was out of his control. He suffered the injury in Week 2 and wasn't able to return until Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Johnson played in seven games with six starts, recording 17 total tackles and one interception.
When he was healthy, we saw glimpses of his old self. In Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns, he secured an interception by ripping the ball out of Jerry Jeudy's hands.
Muhammad will have to earn his playing time, as most of the Bears' starters in the secondary are already cemented in their roles. However, if he can become a player like Johnson, he could prove to be another draft steal by General Manager Ryan Poles.
Picking a player like Johnson to watch tape of is never a bad thing. It could pay dividends for a young cornerback like Muhammad.