Last year, the Bears shocked many draft experts when they went with Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren at TE, and then took the WR out of Missouri, Luther Burden, in the second round, despite having Cole Kmet, DJ Moore, and Rome Odunze already on the roster. If taking a tight end and a wide receiver with their first two picks last season was unexpected, the fact the Bears took another tight end and another wide receiver, both in the 3rd round, this year, was downright eye-popping. What do the draft experts around the world of NFL reporting think about the Chicago Bears’ draft?

Let’s take a walk around the web and find out:Let’s start with Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame grade on the Bears’ 1st Round Pick:Grade: B+25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, OregonThe Indiana native has been a steady riser throughout the draft process, being seen in that second wave of safeties alongside Emmanuel McNeil-Warren of Toledo. At Oregon, Thieneman racked up 95 tackles and two interceptions across 15 games last season, earning second-team All-American status.

At the combine, Thieneman ran a blistering 4.35 40-yard dash with 1.52-second 10-yard split.How he fits with the Bears: Thieneman will pair with Coby Bryant on the back end of coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense. The Bears needed to bolster their edge rush but decided to take the second safety off the board, perhaps helping Chicago as a versatile piece both in the box, as a centerfielder and in the slot.Verderame also graded NFL teams’ Day 2 – 3 picks. Here is his overall draft grade for the Bears:Chicago BearsGrade: B-Round 1: No. 25: Dillon Thieneman, S, OregonRound 2: No. 57: Logan Jones, C, IowaRound 3: No. 69: Sam Roush, TE, StanfordRound 3: No. 89: Zavion Thomas, WR, LSURound 4: No. 124: Malik Muhammad, CB, TexasRound 5: No. 166: Keyshaun Elliott, LB, Arizona StateRound 6: No. 213: Jordan van den Berg, DT, Georgia TechAnalysis: Suddenly, the Bears have a versatile group of safeties and plenty of depth in the secondary.

Thieneman will partner with free-agent addition Coby Bryant, who found his footing after moving from cornerback to safety in Seattle. If Chicago can find another quality cornerback, this could be one of the league’s better secondaries in 2026. Perhaps Muhammad can fit that need, but he’s going to need to work his way up the depth chart.

On the downside, the Bears failed to add more talent on the defensive front. Montez Sweat is their lone reliable edge rusher, and he will turn 30 in September.Chad Reuter of NFL.Com gives snap draft grades for all NFL teams. Here is his grade for the Bears:Overall Grade: A-Per Day Grades:Day 1: ADay 2: B+Day 3: BAnalysis:Thieneman is an easy fit with the Bears in the first round, because his athleticism, toughness and versatility will fill a hole in the secondary left by departed free agent Kevin Byard.

Chicago picked the best center in the draft in Round 2; Jones should remind fans of prior starter Drew Dalman. The trade of veteran receiver DJ Moore to Buffalo puts pressure on 2025 second-round pick Luther Burden III and Thomas, a surprising third-round choice, to replace that production. Roush was a good value in Round 3 as a future starter with solid receiving and blocking skills.Muhammad’s athleticism and toughness made him a steal in Round 4.

Selecting Elliott made sense for the Bears since 2023 fifth-round pick Noah Sewell is recovering from a torn Achilles. Van den Berg, a native of South Africa, is an excellent athlete and meets the team’s need for defensive line depth. The Bears did not use any picks on edge rushers or offensive tackles this year despite their needs at those positions.

Mike Pendelton of Bears Wire rated every Chicago Bears pick. Here is his grade for the First Round:Grade: A+Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon (Round 1, Pick 25)The reason for the perfect grade is because general manager Ryan Poles never got anxious, never felt the need to trade up, and let Dillon Thieneman fall in their laps when he was frequently mocked to not be on the board leading up to the draft. Thieneman’s playmaking ability, excellence in coverage at the safety position, and even more, clean tackling ability will make him a Day 1 starter after being a first-round pick, barring any extreme circumstances. Chicago knew what they needed to get done, and they got a player who wasn’t expected to be there at their selection, it’s a win-win across the board for both sides.Chris Kwiecinsky of Fox 32 also rated every Bears pick, and he gave the Bears this grade for their selection of Thieneman in the 1st round of the draft:G