How much will the Bears' top draft picks contribute as rookies in 2026?

CHICAGO — After months of scouting and preparation, the Chicago Bears drafted seven players over the weekend. It was the culmination of a monthslong process for general manager Ryan Poles and his staff.

Notably, the Bears selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with the No. 25 pick during the first round Thursday. Thieneman should start for coach Ben Johnson’s defense right away.

But the rest of their draft picks will have a harder path toward playing time on a team that reached the divisional round of the playoffs last season. Several of the new additions appear to be more long-term plays than big-time contributors as rookies. That’s not to say they won’t have an impact in 2026, but they’ll have to prove themselves in training camp first.

Here’s a look at the team’s first five draft choices and how they might contribute this season:

Thieneman, safety (first round, No. 25)

This is the easy one. Thieneman slots in as a starting safety right away and will pair up with newly signed veteran safety Coby Bryant on the back end of the defense.

Thieneman has the versatility to play various roles. If the Bears need him to play center field, he can do that at a high level. If they need him to provide run support near the line of scrimmage, he has the physicality to do so. He can even play in the nickel, which typically will belong to Kyler Gordon.

“There’s multiple positions he can play on top of the ability to cover, the range, helping in the pass game, on third down,” Poles said. “And then you have Kyler, you have Coby, you have guys where you can do a lot of different things to confuse the defense.”

The Bears like the idea of having three defensive backs who can share roles. It keeps the opponent guessing.

Logan Jones, center (second round, No. 57)

The Bears would love it if Jones showed up at training camp and won the starting center job as a rookie. But they’re also taking a realistic outlook.

The center position is hard. Outside of quarterback, it’s perhaps the most demanding position, mentally, within an NFL offense. A lot goes into understanding protections and diagnosing what the defense is showing presnap.

Jones is coming from an Iowa program that runs a pro-style offense, but it still takes time for any rookie center to adjust.

“Being a center, you have to be able to go up there, make a call and be confident, have the guys around you trust you,” Jones said. “That’s something you have to earn.”

Presumably, veteran Garrett Bradbury will be the starter in 2026. If Jones doesn’t play much as a rookie, that’s a good thing because it means the Bears are healthy on the offensive line. They will work to cross-train Jones to play the guard spots too, which could make him a versatile backup — with an eye toward starting him at center in 2027.

Sam Roush, tight end (third round, No. 69)

Under Johnson last season, the Bears ran more two- and three-tight-end sets than under the previous coaching staff. That’s the latest trend in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Bears were among the teams running the most plays from 12 personnel (two tight ends) and 13 personnel (three), and they were three of the best teams in the NFC.

If Johnson, Sean McVay and former Seahawks coordinator Klint Kubiak (now the Las Vegas Raiders coach) are doing it, it’s probably for a reason.

The Bears might be doubling down on that strategy. Roush should play a decent amount as a rookie. As the Y tight end last year, Durham Smythe played 25% of offensive snaps. The casual Bears fan might not have noticed because Smythe caught only four passes all season, but he was an integral part of the blocking game.

Smythe signed with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, and the Bears are earmarking Roush in his role. Roush potentially could be a more versatile version of Smythe.

“Blocking is a huge part of my identity as a player,” Roush said. “That’s something that I take immense pride in. That’s something that I’ve worked on every day in college, and that’s obviously where a lot of my value is in the league.”

He should be out there plenty with Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland.

Zavion Thomas, wide receiver (third round, No. 89)

Thomas, Roush and linebacker Keyshaun Elliott likely will see varying levels of special teams duty, albeit in different roles.

The front office needed to restock the cupboard for coordinator Richard Hightower, who no doubt will impress on them the high bar they have to clear — especially Thomas, who will get a shot at primary kick returner.

Last season, the Bears ranked 12th in kick-return average (26.4 yards) and 13th in punt-return average (11 yards). The team let Devin Duvernay leave for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency but brought in former Detroit Lions returner Kalif Raymond.

Sure, Thomas ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash at the combine (4.28 seconds), but no one’s trying to tackle you during the 40.

“I go out and that’s one cut,” Thomas said. “You’ve got one cut during a kick return. You see that hole, you make one cut and then you have to make one man miss. ”

Assistant director of college scouting Francis St. Paul said Thomas has the play speed for the return game: “This kid is special with the ball in his hand.”

Poles suggested it will be a challenge for Thomas to carve out a role as a receiver, outside of gadget plays. He’ll have to compete with Raymond for opportunities in the return game.

Malik Muhammad, cornerback (fourth round, No. 124)

Does anyone expect Muhammad to challenge Tyrique Stevenson for a starting cornerback spot? Not necessarily.

But the cornerback depth was depleted during free agency, and for now it’s his roster spot to lose.

Muhammad considers himself an “all-around” defensive back: “I can play inside too. I can play nickel also. And I can play multiple coverages. I can play man, I can play zone, pattern match, true zone. I can blitz.”

If he’s up to the task, the Bears will need all the help they can get on pass defense. They allowed the fifth-most passing yards per play (6.8 yards) last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

The Bears didn’t specify how much they plan to use Muhammad, but they liked him enough to move up four spots in the fourth round to get him. Poles said that he, defensive backs coach Al Harris and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen were in agreement.

“We like the way that he covers,” Poles said. “We like the play style, and we think there’s room for him to continue to improve too.”

Not only does Muhammad add competition to the group, but he can potentially “give us more depth early. And as he grows into something bigger,” Poles said.

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