Malik Muhammad's Response to Draft Video Wasn't Needed Because of Bears Scout's Story

Malik Muhammad offered up a response to the viral draft video showing his stoic reaction after being drafted by the Chicago Bears.

Texas Longhorns defensive back Malik Muhammad. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

A video of Chicago Bears fourth-round pick and cornerback Malik Muhammad went viral this week and one of the Bears' newest defenders has since addressed it.

The video was of Muhammad at his home on Day 3 of the NFL Draft and it recorded his reaction the moment his name was announced as the Bears' pick on television.

Or, should we say, lack of reaction. Muhammad barely flinched as his family celebrated around him in the usual manner you see a drafted player's family react.

That led some to wonder if Muhammad was not happy about his landing with the Bears or, at the very least, that he was drafted in the slot he ended up in.

Either one of those things could definitely be true, but Muhammad was quick to make clear he is indeed excited to be in the NFL with the Bears.

"In light of my draft night video going viral, I wanted to take a moment to address it," he said. "Hearing my name called was a dream come true. I was overwhelmed with excitement and emotion."

"I'm beyond grateful for the opportunity and ready to continue my career at the highest level," Muhammad added. "I can't wait to get to work and do everything I can to make the city of Chicago proud. Thank you to the Bears organization."

The moment Malik Muhammad was drafted pic.twitter.com/Tj71bf3oUI

— Captain Caleb (@captaincaleb18) April 27, 2026

Muhammad's explanation was in this story

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

If you've followed along with what we've learned about Muhammad since he was drafted, you know the Texas product never needed to explain himself in this situation. It was good that he did, of course, but it wasn't necessary.

That's because Bears scout Jeff Syty already indirectly explained why the new Bears cornerback reacted the way he did in a story he shared about Muhammad after the draft.

It's a great story that features Muhammad pushing a teammate to not be willing to accept just the bare minimum.

“There was a sophomore safety who had been there for two years, Michael Taaffe, who is also in this draft class,” Syty said. “And this is Mike telling the story about Malik, but it's, Malik gets in there (to Texas), Mike's teaching him the defense.

“They're sitting there and Malik looks up at the depth chart, the board next to him, and sees Mike's (jersey) No. 16, and he’s second on the depth chart. And Malik turns to Mike saying, ‘Hey, well what's the case with this?’ And Mike says, ‘Well, listen, I’m young, I'm behind a couple really good vets in this room and I like my role with special teams.’ And Malik looks at him and said, ‘Well, I guess you really don't want to play in the NFL then, do you?’ He said, ‘Why don't you erase that and put your number up there?’ And that's just kind of how this kid's wired.”

We believe that story perfectly encapsulates why Muhammad had the non-reaction he did.

Being drafted into the NFL is a huge accomplishment, no doubt, but it's just one small step in a long journey in the league.

Muhammad isn't just content with being here. He wants to be that top name on the depth chart, something he doesn't figure to be right away. He wants to be great.

That's why there's no time to celebrate. Muhammad is locked in on his ultimate NFL goal and now begins the journey. The man is built different, plain and simple, and his reaction on draft day was a fantastic sign to us, not a bad one.

Maybe he is upset he didn't go earlier. Maybe he did prefer to land with another team, like his hometown Dallas Cowboys, for example, who took a cornerback 12 slots earlier.

But even if that's the case, that's only going to make Muhammad work harder to prove every other team made a colossal mistake passing on him.