Chicago

Bears

Van den Berg (6’3/310) played linebacker in high school and then defensive end at Iowa Western Community College in the spring of 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the fall season. He moved to defensive tackle upon transferring to Penn State, where he would spend three seasons as a reserve. Van den Berg finally earned a starting role after transferring to Georgia Tech. He exploded in his second season as a Yellojacket, logging 11 TFLs and three sacks. Even after earning First Team-Team All-ACC honors, van den Berg was not extended an invite to the 2026 NFL Combine. At his Pro Day, van den Berg ran a 4.94 40 with a 9’11” broad jump and a 36” vertical. He also clocked a 4.19-second short shuttle and 35 bench press reps, meaning he would have logged a top-two mark in four different drills at the NFL Combine. All in, his 10.00 RAS is the second-best of all time, trailing only Eagles DT Jordan Davis. Van den Berg looks the part of an elite athlete on tape, beating linemen with an array of power and finesse moves. Already 24 years old, van den Berg may be entering the NFL as a complete product, but his blend of athleticism and 2025 production points to a potential starter in the pros. The Bears acquired the No. 213 overall pick from the Bills in exchange for the Nos. 239 and 241 overall picks.

Elliott (6'2"/231), 22, spent two seasons apiece at New Mexico State and Arizona State. In 2023, he earned second-team All-CUSA honors. In 2025, he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler notes Elliott “was the only player from a power conference in 2025 with 90-plus tackles, 14-plus tackles for loss and seven-plus sacks.” He has just five passes defended and one interception over the past two seasons, and could be best suited to a run-defense role while helping out on special teams.

Muhammad (6’0"/182) is a fluid, instinctive cover man whose bona fide athletic profile (9.51 RAS, 4.42 forty) translates directly to sticky coverage on tape. He allowed just 13 receptions on 27 targets (48.1 percent) for 134 yards across 352 coverage snaps, posting an excellent 0.38 yards per coverage snap with a 37.4 NFL QB rating against. Muhammad’s 18.5 percent forced incompletion rate and two INTs with three pass breakups underscore his ability to close windows and disrupt at the catch point despite a lean 6’0/182 frame. His foot quickness and route-matching instincts show up in-phase, where he consistently mirrors stems and drives downhill with decisive trigger timing. In run support, Muhammad contributed 26 tackles with 8.0 havoc plays, though his 81.3 percent tackle rate and lack of mass show up in missed finishes and limited stopping power. He projects as an outside/slot hybrid whose coverage instincts and movement skills carry immediate value, but long-term ceiling hinges on adding functional strength to withstand NFL physicality.

Thomas ran the third-fastest 40 (4.28 seconds) at the NFL Scouting Combine. He made the Freshman All-American team as a punt returner at Mississippi State in 2022. After transferring to LSU in 2024, he bagged third-team All-SEC honors as a kick returner. Over the course of his college career, he found the end zone as a receiver, rusher, punt returner and kick returner. He posted career highs in receptions (41) and receiving touchdowns (four) last year, while totaling 488 receiving yards. Thomas (5’10/190) profiles as an impactful special teams player with the Bears as a rookie. He may have to wait until 2027 or later to earn much of a role as a wideout.

A true tight end’s tight end, Roush (6’6/267), does a little bit of everything without one elite trait. He peaked at 49 catches for 545 yards and two scores as a senior. Those two scores make up half of his collegiate touchdowns. The low scoring total could, in part, be explained by Roush’s struggles on contested targets, of which he secured just 47 percent. Roush isn’t a mauling blocker, but he handled his business in the trenches at Stanford and his massive frame will make the NFL transition a bit easier. His elite athletic measurable — highlighted by a 4.7 40 — will also make the leap to pro completion more manageable. Roush simply needs to play to his size more as a blocker and at the catch point. He will begin his career behind Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland. Roush won’t be a threat to Loveland, but he could take on Kmet’s role as a blocker and TE2 in Chicago after 2026.

Jones is a highly experienced, technically refined pivot who anchored the Joe Moore Award-winning front while logging over 2,800 career snaps exclusively at center. Jones took a major leap in 2025, posting a 90.7 PFF pass-block grade with a 99.4 pass-block efficiency, allowing just one sack and three total pressures on 336 pass-blocking snaps, showcasing elite control and consistency in protection. He pairs that polish with outstanding athletic testing, making him an ideal fit for zone-heavy systems. Jones plays with outstanding foot quickness, leverage and hand placement, consistently hitting landmarks in the run game while processing second-level threats with veteran awareness. However, his undersized frame (6’3/299) and sub-31-inch arms create natural limitations against long, powerful nose tackles who can disrupt his anchor and compress the pocket. Despite those concerns, Jones’ combination of elite movement skills, technique and production profiles him as a high-floor, center-only prospect with early starting potential in a zone-based system.

Thieneman (6’0/201) is a highly productive, instinctive and ultra-athletic deep safety who has stacked 235 tackles, 59 stops and 11 total pressures across 2,417 career snaps, averaging nearly 8 tackles per start with consistent downhill production. In coverage, he’s been targeted just 68 times over three seasons, allowing 44 receptions (64.7%) for 494 yards with improved efficiency in 2025 (8.1 Y/R, 62.1% allowed) after giving up chunk plays earlier in his Purdue tenure. Thieneman’s range shows up in his ability to limit explosives late in his career, trimming his yards per reception allowed from 17.2 in 2023 to 8.1 in 2025 while maintaining ball production (2 career INTs, multiple PBUs in key moments). His 9.71 RAS underscores elite straight-line speed (4.35s forty, 99th%) and explosion (41” vertical, 98th%), aligning with the sideline-to-sideline range he flashes while patrolling the deep half. While his tackling consistency (11.5% career miss rate) and average transition quickness can lead to inefficiencies in space, his processing speed and angles help mitigate those limitations. Thieneman projects as a full-service starting free safety, capable of functioning in split-safety shells while offering enough physicality to rotate into the box when needed.

Wright will now be under contract through the 2027 season. The former No. 10 overall pick allowed just three sacks on 436 pass-blocking snaps last season while also allowing a career-low 19 quarterback pressures. Among 68 tackles with at least 500 snaps last season, Wright’s 81.4 PFF blocking grade ranked 14th-highest and earned Second-team All-Pro honors. If he’s able to turn out a strong 2026 campaign, Wright will likely find himself in line for a long-term extension before the start of the 2027 season.

Stribling, a five-year college player, ran a 4.36-second 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine. He caught a career-high 55 passes while producing 811 yards and six touchdowns in his final college season. He spent two seasons apiece at Washington State and Oklahoma State before heading to Ole Miss. His speed and size (6'2/207) will intrigue some front offices.

Burden should be a big beneficiary of the DJ Moore trade. It’s hard to imagine that between his on-field metrics and the target vacuum that he won’t take a major step forward in 2026. The only question is how big that step can be with Colston Loveland and Rome Odunze also seemingly set for major target roles. Burden has a case to go in the top 75 picks and has the upside to crush that ADP.