Chicago's 2026 draft haul united a shared, standout trait across every selection. Discover the surprising commonality that defines their newest talent pool.
Another draft has come and gone for the Chicago Bears.
Chicago hit on a few of its glaring needs ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting eight players.
The Bears took Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, Iowa center Logan Jones, Stanford tight end Sam Roush, LSU receiver Zavion Thomas, Texas corner Malik Muhammad, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan Van Den Berg.
Edge rusher is still one that the Bears could've benefited from taking in the draft. The injury to Dayo Odeyingbo showed just how little depth there was at the position.
After he went down with the Achilles injury, the Bears didn't have a solid option outside of Montez Sweat.
Offensive tackle was another position the Bears could've gone with. Ozzy Trapilo's late-season injury puts the team in a tight spot, with Theo Benedet and Braxton Jones as short-term solutions.
Chicago still needs a player for the future at left tackle.
While the Bears still have many needs, their 2026 draft class had one thing in common. According to Next Gen Stats on X, the Bears had the most athletic draft class.
Out of their first five picks, Roush had the highest NGS athleticism score of 88, followed by Jones (86), Thieneman (85), Thomas and Muhammad (76). The average score among the Bears' draft picks was an 83.
Not everyone agreed with the picks General Manager Ryan Poles made, but they all filled a need Chicago had.
Thieneman means that the starting safeties are now secured for 2026. He'll be starting alongside Coby Bryant in the secondary.
Jones will be behind Garrett Bradbury at center and is a player the Bears could let gain valuable experience before eventually handing him the starting job there.
Roush is a hybrid tight end who will be a third option behind Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland. If the team decides to move on from Kmet in the near future, Roush could be a good alternative.
Thomas is a solid return specialist with potential as a gadget receiver for Chicago. Muhammad adds to the cornerback room after the Bears lost Nahshon Wright and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
Elliott is similar to Muhammad in that he is extra depth at linebacker after reserves Amen Ogbongbemiga and Tremaine Edmunds are no longer with the franchise.
Van Den Berg's speed at the interior defensive line could help him work his way into the defensive tackle rotation this season. Chicago needed help there after allowing the sixth-most rushing yards per game last season.
Similar to last year, some of these picks may not make sense at the moment. One thing we know about Poles is that he has a good eye for talent in April.
Loveland, Luther Burden, Trapilo and Kyle Monangai are proof of that.