Dillon Thieneman is a Superstar, but the Bears Draft Grades Are a Polarized Mess

There is a wide range of grades from experts for the Bears' 2026 NFL Draft class, but each expert shares the same concern with Chicago's group.

Oregon defensive back Dillon Thieneman. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now that the dust has settled from the 2026 NFL Draft, experts are weighing in on the Chicago Bears class as a whole.

The Bears came away with seven players over the three-day event and there was no shortage of detractors in the fan base, mostly because of Day 2, when the Bears didn't take a single defensive player.

Of course, not everyone had an issue with the Bears' class as a whole, and that's reflected in our expert grades round-up.

Before we get to how experts viewed Chicago's haul, here's a reminder of who the team drafted:

• 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

Now, the round-up.

NFL.com: A-

Oregon Ducks defensive back Dillon Thieneman. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This is the highest grade in our round-up and it comes from Chad Reuter, who gave the Bears an "A" for taking Thieneman.

Reuter wasn't as high on the picks the next two days, but still gave solid marks of "B+" for Day 2 and "B" for Day 3.

Along with Thieneman, Reuter pointed to the picks of Muhammad, Elliott and van den Berg as good ones, but he wasn't thrilled with Chicago not addressing offensive tackle or edge rusher.

ESPN: B

LSU wideout Zavion Thomas. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mel Kiper offered the second-highest grade among the experts in our round-up.

Kiper was a fan of the selections of Thieneman and Jones, who was his top-ranked player at the position.

The NFL Draft guru was down on the selection of Zavion Thomas, who he considered a reach, and wasn't pleased with Chicago's decision to not take an EDGE and wait until the sixth to take an interior defensive lineman.

Welcome to the party, Mel.

ESPN's Matt Miller made a prediction for five years out that this 2026 class will eventually "put the Bears over the top and into a Super Bowl."

Sports Illustrated: B-

Texas defensive back Malik Muhammad. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The grades keep getting worse as we move forward, with Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame coming up with the second-worst mark on our stroll of expert grades.

As everyone else has, the SI pair highlighted the Thieneman pick, but they aren't so sure that Muhammad will be able to step into a starting role in Year 1.

Another downside to the Bears' class, they wrote, was the lack of a significant addition to the defensive front, and more specifically, at edge rusher, which we know was a massive need for Chicago.

USA TODAY: C

Iowa offensive lineman Logan Jones. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Nate Davis was not enthusiastic about the Bears' 2026 NFL Draft class, and we can't say we blame him.

Thieneman was Davis' star of the class, and he is optimistic about Jones despite being undersized because he comes out of Iowa, although Davis isn't sure Jones will even play in 2026.

Outside of the Oregon safety, Davis ultimately believes the Bears didn't come away with anyone who "who will make much of an impact in 2026."

That is one of our main issues with this draft class. The Bears need to take a step forward this season and could compete for a Super Bowl, yet their incoming draft picks may not help that cause all that much.