How Soon Will the Chicago Bears 2026 Rookie Class Make an Impact?

It will be quite a surprise to not see Dillon listed as a starter once the official depth chart is revealed for week one. I do expect a “competition” during training camp between himself and veteran Elijah Hicks while the rookie gets up to speed with his coverage assignments and responsibilities. Make no mistake – Dillon Thieneman will be one of the two primary starters at safety this year. And he’s arguably the best prospect they’ve drafted into the position in decades.

C Logan Jones

Selected at – 57th Overall (2nd round)

Expectation – Eventual Starter

Likelihood of impact during rookie season – High

Here we have the first true competition to be expected during training camp which could dip into the regular season as well. It shall be Garrett Bradbury vs. Logan Jones for the top job as head hog — center — for the Bears’ offensive line. On paper, the nod goes to Garrett Bradbury due to their investment in a trade as well as his excellent track record for availability throughout his seasoned career. Garrett has started in all 105 career games he’s made an appearance in between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots.

This is also where I begin to break away from several of my counterparts. Unlike what common logic has dictated, I feel Logan Jones is simply too good of a player to keep on the bench for their entire rookie season. He will also have his chances during training camp to at least make it a difficult decision between himself and the established veteran in Garrett Bradbury. Iowa has an outstanding history of producing day one starters at center in the NFL as well. Unless Garrett plays at a Pro Bowl level all throughout the year, I don’t see him keeping the job by year’s end. The Bears will want to get Logan out on the field to develop.

TE Sam Roush

Selected at – 69th Overall (3rd round)

Expectation – Primary Backup

Likelihood of impact during rookie season – Debatable

Time to address the big pink elephant hanging out in the back of the room. The 3rd round has turned into a pit of misery (Dilly Dilly) for Ryan Poles at this point in his career as a general manager. I was incensed when this pick was announced on live television.

I cannot talk myself into “loving” this pick for the Bears. Not now, at least… It’s still a big surprise to me that they went with a projected backup tight end at the top of the 3rd round instead of another premium position of need. Then again, recent trends by teams around the league suggest that the tight end position itself is becoming more premium with each season that passes by. A good example is the Los Angeles Rams taking Ohio State’s Max Klare at the end of the second round.

The national consensus has been Sam Roush being listed as the draft’s top graded in-line blocker to be had this year. Additionally, the cost of bringing in a veteran to fulfill the role as TE3 has steadily gone up while the league returns to a more physical brand of football on offense. The best counter to all these heavy nickel packages on defense has been throwing more big bodies on the field who can also become red zone targets. While I have my doubts on Sam Roush becoming such a receiving threat, he doesn’t have to be thanks in large part to who’s listed ahead of him on the depth chart. A real “luxury” pick, this is.

My assessment for Sam Roush’s current fit in the Bears’ lineup is as their in-line blocking specialist — similar to Mercedes Lewis — who will see their playing time tailored to when “13” personnel groupings are called by Ben Johnson. To Sam’s advantage, the Bears’ offense ranked 5th in the NFL last season when calling for “13” personnel. He also provides additional depth behind the league’s most balanced tandem at tight end between Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland. I’m leaving this pick as one I hope to be pleasantly surprised with by the time postseason play begins for the Bears this winter.

WR Zavion Thomas

Selected at – 89th Overall (3rd round)

Expectation – Special Teams / Speed Specialist (Gadget)

Likelihood of impact during rookie season – Moderate

While not being much of a fan of the previous pick, I am warming up to the thought of seeing Zavion Thomas become the latest LSU Tigers receiver to make a name for themselves (in a good way) when turning pro. Coming from one of the most decorated programs is always a positive when projecting one’s potential impact during their rookie season. Zavion has several different ways he can contribute right away when week one rolls around.

The most obvious route for him to make an impact will be taking control of the kick and punt return specialist roles with his blazing (4.28) speed. For his collegiate career between Mississippi State and LSU he’s totaled 3 return touchdowns — one punt and two kicks — while netting a 9.6 yard avg for punt returns and 27.2 yard avg for kick returns. As it stands, veteran addition Kalif Raymond projects as the primary return specialist entering training camp.

Now we get to where things become interesting. His role on offense, unlike Sam Roush, will be much more diverse. In all, he’s seen time spent as a running back, wide receiver, and even a quarterback on designed fakes. Ben Johnson pointed out Zavion Thomas’ versatility as a major reason why the Bears took him earlier than what the national consensus suggested.

I’ve also seen far too many comparisons to former Bears draft bust Velus Jones Jr. That comparison couldn’t be lazier or more short-sighted in my humble opinion. Velus benefited from a breakout year in 2021 to boost his stock. Otherwise, he had a pedestrian career between his time at USC and Tennessee. Zavion consistently produced respectable numbers and had a much larger role on offense regardless of where he played. That includes his reputation as a scrappy blocker who gives full-speed effort and embodies a “no block no rock” mentality.

There are legitimate questions regarding Zavion’s size and need for refinement in their route running. Unlike the Bears’ situation in 2022 for Velus Jones Jr., there is no immediate expectation for Zavion Thomas to contribute in a major way on offense as well as special teams. The pressure for Zavion to produce big numbers on offense is very low when looking at the depth chart ahead of him – they’re stacked at the top between Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III with Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker, as well as tight ends Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, and a dangerous back in D’Andre Swift all expected to garner plenty of targets in the receiving game. The competition at WR3 is going to be the most fun battle expected in training camp.

CB Malik Muhammad

Selected at – 124th Overall (4th round)

Expectation – Potential Starter

Likelihood of impact during rookie season – High

Day Three for the Bears featured a pair of trades that moved up to secure assets on defense that will add both competition and depth for key areas of need. Their first such trade is for a player I routinely had mocked to the Bears on Day Two – Malik Muhammad of Texas. He reminds me a great deal of former Bear and Texas Longhorn Nathan Vasher in terms of playing style – who was also drafted in the 4th round of 2005’s draft and earned a Pro Bowl nod before injuries derailed their career. A more recent comparison that fans will enjoy is former Al Harris protégé, LaRon Bland.

Needless to say, I feel strongly about Malik’s chances to crack the starting lineup alongside Dillon Thieneman as a rookie who can make an immediate impact. However, he will face a significant challenge when competing against Tyrique Stevenson and possibly others to earn that starting role adjacent from All-Pro Jaylon Johnson. I also won’t be surprised if another veteran free agent such as a L’Jarius Sneed is eventually considered down the road. Even then, personally, I think the Bears will wait as long as possible for this competition to play out before looking to add from the veteran market. Malik’s instincts and length will give him a very good chance to play.

LB Keyshaun Elliot

Selected at – 166th Overall (5th round)

Expectation – Primary Backup / Special Teams

Likelihood of impact during rookie season – Modest

Historically, the Bears have drafted quite a few players out of Arizona State. In all, Keyshaun Elliot is the 12th such player to have their name called by the Bears dating back to 1951. Prior to Keyshaun, the last Sun Devil picked in Chicago was DT Will Sutton in 2014. At this point in the draft, it becomes all about how they can contribute on special teams and if they have traits that can be molded long-term.

One thing that I will say with confidence is that Keyshaun had excellent production as an LB between his time as both a “MIKE” and a “SAM” while contributing to plenty of splash plays last season. He totaled 7 sacks and 14 TFLs in 2025 alone which is rare to see from an off-ball LB like himself. His immediate future projects to him competing for a role on kick coverage units. He could add competition at SAM LB between himself, D’Marco Jackson, and Jack Sanborn as well. His instincts and abilities to disrupt plays behind the LOS do translate well in Dennis Allen’s scheme.

DT Jordan van den Berg

Selected at – 213th Overall (6th round)

Expectation – Potential Starter

I speak for everyone when I say: It’s about damn time they picked a defensive lineman! A conclusion that included trading away their 7th round picks to select the Johannesburg (South Africa) native as a player whom Ryan Poles considered a “steal” at that point in the draft. And I can see the hype for this Day Three selection.

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here – Jordan is a raw prospect that has much to learn when refining their details and footwork as an NFL defensive lineman. He could easily start his time on the practice squad, depending on how things shake out during training camp. That being said… he’s good enough talent-wise to compete for playing time as a shade (1-tech DT) in the Bears’ defense. His production last season as a first-team All-ACC selection jumped off the charts.

My favorite statistic for him is his average depth per tackle when playing against the run. He led all prospects this year with a stunning -0.11 yard average, which in summary states *every* tackle he made against the run lost yardage for the opposing offense. That translated to 10 TFLs on the scoresheet for Georgia Tech to go along with 3 sacks. Jordan also registered an eye-popping 29 pressures on just 291 pass rush snaps per PFF, ranking him 26th in FBS for *all* defensive linemen (not just interior defensive linemen). That’s nearly a 10% pass rush win-rate (9.96) when doing the math. His perfect 10/10 RAS score further highlights his potential.

Jordan also faces the least amount of veteran competition for playing time in comparison to everyone else selected after the first round. Behind starters Gervon Dexter Sr. and Grady Jarrett, there really are no other players who’ve commanded much time in their respective careers. Neville Gallimore could be the likeliest of the bunch to play at shade after receiving a decent 2-year contract in free agency. Otherwise, Jordan van den Berg has a great opportunity to compete and earn reps with the starters at shade. His ability to handle double teams as a 1-tech DT and still add into the pass rush makes him a perfect fit in my eyes.

Whether he starts late in the season or even week one will be determined by how quickly he progresses during training camp. I am bullish about his chances to contribute way earlier than most expect out of a 6th round pick.

In Summary

I have a total of four players on this list who I can see cracking the starting lineup at some point during their rookie seasons. Those players are below.

Dillon Thieneman

Logan Jones

Malik Muhammad

Jordan van den Berg

Of course, everyone has a chance to impress or disappoint as time goes on. In comparison to 2025’s draft class, it will be very hard to top the level of impact players like Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo, and Kyle Monangai made when people were down on said class nationally. There are plenty of opportunities for the Bears’ first two picks to contribute right away, which is what you should expect between rounds one and two. Anything big out from round three and later this year will be a bonus.

The Bears have reached the long-awaited opportunity to stack good draft classes on top of each other. The early results from 2023, 2024, and 2025 are all encouraging when looking at the top half of those draft picks. Provided everyone stays healthy, 2026 has the potential to add more long-term fixtures across the roster. While it remains to be seen just what they plan to do at defensive end — I firmly believe a major trade will happen to address that — the rest of the team had needs addressed. That’s how the best teams in the drafting business conduct themselves.