Hello, Chicago Bears followers! Well, the 2026 NFL Draft is within the books, and the Chicago Bears made numerous attention-grabbing picks throughout the three days and 7 rounds of the draft. Shockingly, regardless of defensive position being maybe their most important want going into the draft, the Bears didn’t choose a defensive lineman till their final choose which, after a commerce with the Bills, was within the sixth spherical. Last yr, the Bears shocked many draft specialists after they went with Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren at TE, after which took the WR out of Missouri, Luther Burden, within the second spherical, regardless of having Cole Kmet, DJ Moore, and Rome Odunze already on the roster. If taking a good finish and a large receiver with their first two picks final season was sudden, the very fact the Bears took one other tight finish and one other large receiver, each within the third spherical, this yr, was downright eye-popping. What do the draft specialists around the globe of NFL reporting take into consideration the Chicago Bears’ draft? Let’s take a stroll across the internet and discover out:
Let’s begin with Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame grade on the Bears’ 1st Round Pick:
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Grade: B+
25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
The Indiana native has been a gentle riser all through the draft course of, being seen in that second wave of safeties alongside Emmanuel McNeil-Warren of Toledo. At Oregon, Thieneman racked up 95 tackles and two interceptions throughout 15 video games final season, incomes second-team All-American standing. At the mix, Thieneman ran a blistering 4.35 40-yard sprint with 1.52-second 10-yard cut up.
How he matches with the Bears: Thieneman will pair with Coby Bryant on the again finish of coordinator Dennis Allen’s protection. The Bears wanted to bolster their edge rush however determined to take the second security off the board, maybe serving to Chicago as a flexible piece each within the field, as a centerfielder and within the slot.
Verderame additionally graded NFL groups’ Day 2 – 3 picks. Here is his overall draft grade for the Bears:
Chicago Bears
Grade: B-
Round 1: No. 25: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
Round 2: No. 57: Logan Jones, C, Iowa
Round 3: No. 69: Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
Round 3: No. 89: Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU
Round 4: No. 124: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
Round 5: No. 166: Keyshaun Elliott, LB, Arizona State
Round 6: No. 213: Jordan van den Berg, DT, Georgia Tech
Analysis: Suddenly, the Bears have a flexible group of safeties and loads of depth within the secondary. Thieneman will associate with free-agent addition Coby Bryant, who discovered his footing after transferring from cornerback to security in Seattle. If Chicago can discover one other high quality cornerback, this might be one of many league’s higher secondaries in 2026. Perhaps Muhammad can match that want, however he’s going to wish to work his method up the depth chart. On the draw back, the Bears failed so as to add extra expertise on the defensive entrance. Montez Sweat is their lone dependable edge rusher, and he’ll flip 30 in September.
Chad Reuter of NFL.Com offers snap draft grades for all NFL groups. Here is his grade for the Bears:
Overall Grade: A-
Per Day Grades:
Day 1: A
Day 2: B+
Day 3: B
Analysis:
Thieneman is a simple match with the Bears within the first spherical, as a result of his athleticism, toughness and flexibility will fill a gap within the secondary left by departed free agent Kevin Byard. Chicago picked the most effective heart within the draft in Round 2; Jones ought to remind followers of prior starter Drew Dalman. The commerce of veteran receiver DJ Moore to Buffalo places strain on 2025 second-round choose Luther Burden III and Thomas, a stunning third-round selection, to interchange that manufacturing. Roush was a great worth in Round 3 as a future starter with strong receiving and blocking expertise.
Muhammad’s athleticism and toughness made him a steal in Round 4. Selecting Elliott made sense for the Bears since 2023 fifth-round choose Noah Sewell is recovering from a torn Achilles. Van den Berg, a local of South Africa, is a superb athlete and meets the staff’s want for defensive position depth. The Bears didn’t use any picks on edge rushers or offensive tackles this yr regardless of their wants at these positions.
Mike Pendelton of Bears Wire rated each Chicago Bears choose. Here is his grade for the First Round:
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Grade: A+
Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon (Round 1, Pick 25)
The cause for the right grade is as a result of basic supervisor Ryan Poles by no means bought anxious, by no means felt the necessity to commerce up, and let Dillon Thieneman fall of their laps when he was incessantly mocked to not be on the board main as much as the draft. Thieneman’s playmaking skill, excellence in protection on the security place, and much more, clear tackling skill will make him a Day 1 starter after being a first-round choose, barring any excessive circumstances. Chicago knew what they wanted to get carried out, they usually bought a participant who wasn’t anticipated to be there at their choice, it’s a win-win throughout the board for either side.
Chris Kwiecinsky of Fox 32 additionally rated each Bears choose, and he gave the Bears this grade for his or her choice of Thieneman within the 1st spherical of the draft:
Grade: A+
No. 25 general: Dillon Thieneman, S – Oregon
As the draft cycle moved on, it wasn’t clear if the Bears would also have a probability to pick out Thieneman. His skillset was rated so excessive that he might have been a top-10 choice.
His expertise as a security are many. He can patrol the field, he can play deep within the again finish or he can play close to the road of scrimmage. The Bears have plans to make use of him in a myriad of how alongside Coby Bryant.
Considering how vital Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker had been for the Bears in 2025, the tandem of Bryant and Thieneman might produce game-changing performs for a protection that thrived off turnovers final yr.
Thankfully for the Bears, the protection place is so undervalued that he slid to No. 25. The Bears’ security duo has an opportunity to be nearly as good because it’s been in a very long time for the following few years to come back.
Here is how PFF’s Draft analyst graded the Chicago Bears’ 2026 draft and evaluation of the 1st spherical choose:
Chicago Bears: B
Picks: 7 | WAA added: 0.675 (Rank 27/32)
Highest-graded choose (2025): S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon Ducks (91)
Thieneman: Thieneman didn’t usually make it to Chicago in mock drafts, however the Bears will definitely be completely happy he was accessible right here. Thieneman earned 89.0-plus PFF grades on a number of defenses — 2023 with Purdue and 2025 with Oregon — and may cowl, defend the run and convey high-end athleticism. Given that the Bears got here into this draft with a transparent want at security, this is a perfect situation for Dennis Allen’s protection.
Here is how ESPN’s Mel Kiper graded the Chicago Bears’ 2026 NFL draft picks:
Draft Grade: B
Dillon Thieneman was a fantastic get at No. 25. Coordinator Dennis Allen can transfer him in every single place — deep security, within the field, out large, over the slot. He’s an instinctive participant who had a six-interception season in 2023 whereas nonetheless at Purdue (earlier than transferring to Oregon), and he ought to assist make up for a few of the on-ball manufacturing misplaced within the free company exodus within the secondary.
The remainder of the category was barely up and down. Logan Jones — my top-ranked heart — seems to be like the right Drew Dalman alternative. Yes, the Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury, however I wished to see Chicago make a long-term transfer there, and Jones is already primarily a seasoned professional with 51 profession begins. At receiver, basic supervisor Ryan Poles went down the board a little bit bit for Zavion Thomas; he was a transparent Day 3 man.
Potentially most vital in all of that is Chicago not taking a look at edge rusher or defensive sort out till Jordan van den Berg at No. 213. Chicago wanted somebody reverse Sweat and didn’t get it, and whereas I heard some Day 3 sleeper love for van den Berg, he’s a depth man.
Carter Bahms of CBS Sports grades the Chicago Bears’ 2026 Draft:
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Draft Grade: B-
The Bears had not taken a defensive participant within the first spherical since 2018, which was the longest stretch of any staff. The expectation was that the streak would finish, however the query was whether or not they would deal with the defensive entrance or proceed to rebuild their secondary after a free-agent exodus. The latter got here to fruition when Dillon Thieneman was accessible to them at No. 25. He is a direct starter for a staff with a gap at security. The entrance, in the meantime, needed to wait till Day 3 for assist.
Logan Jones is a much less standard choose, to say the least. Renner gave it a “D+” due to Jones’ weaknesses in cross safety. Yes, he’ll assist Chicago preserve its imposing run recreation and could have time to develop behind Garrett Bradbury. But that makes it much more questionable: Why use second-round capital on a backup heart, particularly when higher choices had been on the board?
At face worth, the Sam Roush choose additionally seems to be unusual contemplating Colston Loveland is already on board. But Roush is a blocker by commerce and won’t step on Loveland’s toes. It’s a superb acquisition for a staff seeking to additional flex its run-game skill and was the Bears’ finest choose of the primary three rounds.
And right here is how Nate Davis of USA Today noticed the Bears draft:
Draft Grade: C
Meh? They’ve been working their board for weeks, together with exporting DJ Moore to Buffalo for a second-rounder. GM Ryan Poles maneuvered round additional via the weekend. Yet it doesn’t really feel just like the reigning NFC North champs got here away with anybody except for first-round S Dillon Thieneman who will make a lot of an affect in 2026. Second-round C Logan Jones is undersized (6-3, 299) however might get a redshirt yr earlier than he has to imagine a beginning position … and it’s usually arduous to quibble with Iowa O-linemen.
The Sporting News gave the Bears an A, as their Ninth-best class.
Analysis: GM Ryan Poles might draft with confidence along with his rising playoff staff below Ben Johnson. Thieneman and Muhammad give a youthful jolt to maintain up the secondary playmaking. Jones is likely to be the lacking piece of a powerful offensive line. Roush and Thomas give Johnson two extra intriguing toys to deploy for Caleb Williams.
What do you consider these draft specialists’ grades of the Chicago Bears’ 2026 NFL draft picks? Tell us within the feedback under!