Just as I predicted this afternoon.
2026 NFL Draft Thread
With the 69th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Sam Roush, TE, Stanford.
Why did the Bears draft a TE when they defensive line help in the worst possible way? Oh......and they have two TE's on the roster. Unless Kmet won't be around much longer?
Draft Projection
Round 3
NFL Comparison
Dawson Knox
Round 3
NFL Comparison
Dawson Knox
Overview
In a draft landscape full of pass-catching tight ends, Roush stands out as one of the few plug-and-play “Y” tight ends (in-line blocking TE) available. He can make cut-off blocks in zone and combo blocks in gap schemes. He holds his own in pass protection, too. As a receiver, he’s not stiff, but he lacks elusiveness underneath. He needs to apply more of his tough playing style to win combat catches and expand his role beyond run blocker/zone beater. While his catch production might draw questions, his size, toughness and pro-ready blocking profile could push him into Day 2 consideration.Strengths
- Long line of collegiate/pro athletes in his family.
- Relied on as an extension of the offensive line at Stanford.
- Comes off the ball with good knee bend, pad level and inside hands.
- Runs through initial contact to pop opponents and establish the tone.
- Footwork and positioning to help seal the edge on wide runs.
- Well-schooled in working up to the linebacker on combo blocks.
- Gets in and out of breaks/stems with good efficiency.
- Runs behind his pads after the catch and is tough to bring down.
Weaknesses
- Outside arm will reach and hook defender when he misses positioning.
- Fails to disguise route intentions and elude man coverage.
- Can be crossed up by throws that are outside his frame.
- Needs to play bigger when contested.
- Must do a better job of using size/strength to carve out catch space.
- Holding penalties were an issue for him in 2024.
From what I've been reading about Roush, he's the blocking TE replacement for Durham Smythe.
With the 72nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select Tacario Davis, CB, Washington.
Good call brother.
With the 76th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Drew Allar, QB, Penn State.
Either they’re planning on letting Kmet walk or they plan on running multiple TE.
Seems like letting Kmet walk is more likely.
Seems like an overpay
A replacement for a blocking TE in third round pick? Keep in mind, they traded out of the 2nd round for this. Is the defensive line not an issue in their minds? They had the worst pass rush and run stuffing unit in the league last year and they're trading back for a blocking TE replacement?
there hasn’t been a good qb outta PSU in forever
I thought the multiple TE set was the reasoning behind Loveland, who's a stud. Two TE's in two years?
It's either Kmet is going to walk or they plan on converting that kid into a lineman.
OrangeBlue98
Iowa is not in a great spot right now (LvilleILL1)
- Des Moines, IA
With the 80th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, USC.
The Bears not taking D-line is puzzling to say the least.
I'm with you. Is their big board for D-Linemen so wildly shallow that another TE made more sense? I love the Safety pick, the Center pick made sense because Bradbury is a one year stop gap, but this.....
Outside of QB, TE would have been the other position on the roster where there's no need....unless they're saving cap space after releasing Kmet. That's the only thing that makes sense.
With the 87th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select Will Kacmarek, TE, Ohio State.
With the 88th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon.