With the 89th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU.
2026 NFL Draft Thread
With the 90th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Not excited personally, but they do need three tight ends.
Here's the NFL.com draft analysis on Thomas:
Draft Projection
Round 6
Draft Projection
Round 6
Overview
Thomas lacks gaudy production as a receiver, but his athleticism, versatility and return talent could bolster his roster value. He has average size with enough vertical speed to stress defenses downfield. He’s average in beating man coverage underneath and struggles finishing catches through contact. His vision, burst and elusiveness as a runner makes the evaluation more interesting. Thomas is likely to be viewed as a WR5 candidate with value as a return man, but teams could dig a little deeper on his potential as a running back.
Strengths
- Builds his speed for adequate vertical push.
- Late leverage pushes coverage out of his downfield break.
- Sharp snap at the top of his comeback routes.
- Legitimate ball-carrying talent on scripted touches.
- Good vision, burst and wiggle to create for himself.
- Return specialist with three career scores (two kickoffs, one punt).
Weaknesses
- Average early acceleration into his routes.
- Short/intermediate routes are gradual and rounded.
- Loses momentum in and out of slant stems.
- Needs to stack and control corners when tracking.
- Struggles to secure catches through contact.
Well, I guess we know who carries the weight in the draft room. We are in desperation mode for an edge and a DT....and we end up with a TE and a WR?
Help me understand.
With the 92nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select Jaishawn Barham, LB, Michigan.
The defensive line is hosed.
Ben Johnson likes his gadget players.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Sounds like Thomas is a reach. Projected to go much lower in draft.
With the 96th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Gennings Dunker, G, Iowa.
With the 97th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern.
With the 100th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Jalen Huskey, S, Maryland.
This is Ben Johnson's franchise now he without question over rules Poles and until he proves otherwise I trust him. That said if we don't do something to improve the D Line before next year I think I'll puke.
I think they're cooking up another trade for a decent DE/DT that won't break the bank.
They seem really reluctant to throw another raw DE in to the mix...
That being said I questioned the Loveland pick and even the Burden pick last year a little bit and was completely wrong on both.
My buddy who scouts in the league thinks the Bears are ahead of the curve with the way the rules are changing and it being more a passing league. Since there are so many drop backs and offenses are so spread obviously pass rush is important but thinking is its more important to have people to chase these guys around. Witherspoon was more dominant than any edge rusher in the superbowl getting in the backfield.
eh , pretty hard for the 3rd TE to get much playing time in any offense
obviously you need a 3rd, but he normally doesn’t play much , nor get paid big bucks
Bizarre Day 2 picks in my opinion. Seems like Jones, Roush, and Thomas were all reaches based on draft position, Thomas being by far the biggest one. Makes me wonder if the Bears got caught offguard by having the pick they wanted in that slot taken in front of them? The Jones pick makes sense though a little early, but got to get your guy if that's your guy. Taking Roush though instead of the available DL players or Branch or Brazzell if you wanted a high value WR in that spot seems strange. Even more odd considering they reached hard for the speedy WR Thomas later in the 3rd round.
Maybe they see Thomas as a high value KR? I don't know. Makes me think Bears will be going free agent hunting for DL help
Couldn’t agree more.
and Heinz promptly signs Jones to a deal to promote Heinz 57 sauce
Well that was gonna be the deal for whoever got picked at #57.