Grading The Pick: Ben Johnson adds some serious speed to his offense with another Day 2 weapon in WR Zavion Thomas
The Chicago Bears double-dipped on pass catchers in the third-round after adding LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas with the 89th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is making massive additions for the future of his offense on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. After selecting center Logan Jones and tight end Sam Roush, the Bears are adding another weapon in LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas.
The selection of Roush made it seem like the Bears would pass on adding another WR in favor of running a heavy dose of 12 and 13 personnel sets with multiple tight ends. Drafting Thomas certainly adds some excitement for what Johnson is planning.
Thomas brings serious speed to Chicago’s offense after running a 4.28 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine, a time that ranked second among WRs and easily leads all pass catchers in Chicago.
An undersized wide receiver with burst and twitch, Zavion Thomas immediately earned a return specialist role way back as a true freshman for Mississippi State. He then developed a bit more of a route tree as a sophomore, producing over 500 receiving yards on top of his return value. After transferring to LSU, Thomas surprisingly earned a rotational role for the Tigers too, but seldom impressed in his first year in Baton Rouge. Thomas finally earned true “starter” status for LSU this past season at wide receiver, showcasing some elite YAC value (6.3 yards after catch per reception). Still, Thomas doesn’t project to be a full-time starter at the NFL level. He will return kicks for several years and provide a fun explosive YAC play from time to time, but will never be a trustworthy down-to-down target.
Travis May
A to Z Sports
Ben Johnson is building a stellar offensive core with the selection of Zavion Thomas
Chicago’s young offensive core now features the following players: Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai, Roush, and Thomas. That’s an incredibly talented group of exciting players to work with.
When it comes to Thomas, Bears assistant college scouting director Francis Saint Paul said he is a “fearless” player with the ability to turn any touch into a house call. His speed is just as deadly in the return game (three career return TDs), giving Chicago the most dangerous return man they’ve had since Hall of Famer Devin Hester.
With Odunze and Burden on the outside, Thomas can rotate in the slot with Kalif Raymond and be a gadget player for Johnson’s offense. That kind of speed is killer both vertically and horizontally. When he’s on the field, he’s a real threat for opposing defenses to account for. Is it a need? No. But, he’ll absolutely be a fun player to watch every time he steps foot on the field.
Good luck to any defense hoping to contain all of these weapons.
Grade: A-