When the Chicago Bears selected wide receiver Zavion Thomas out of LSU in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, opinions and reactions came flooding in.
Immediately, Bears fans were essentially told to hate this pick. Countless experts' big boards and rankings had Thomas as a late-Day 3 talent or even as one of their projected undrafted players.
From an instant reaction standpoint, this was an atrocious pick.
But, when you dig in a little bit, it isn't hard to understand why Ben Johnson wanted to make sure the Bears got him. In the end, he and Ryan Poles stood their ground and stuck to their board. You have to respect it.
Although opinions have been initially poor when it comes to the Thomas pick, there's one trait that jumps off his film which could completely flip the narrative.
Zavion Thomas' in-game speed could lead Ben Johnson to do something no one initially saw coming
Watching Thomas, it is not hard to see that his in-game speed does indeed match his 4.28-second 40-yard dash time. It's easy to criticize the NFL Combine when players are running without pads and not in game situations.
But, Thomas' speed jumps off the screen when you watch him play. That's one thing you cannot coach.
And, that game speed jumps off the screen no matter where Thomas is playing. His versatility saw him used not only as a receiver, but a special teams return man and a running back.
Running back ... hmmm.
Throughout his college career, Thomas took 40 carries for 198 yards, averaging a healthy 5.0 yards per carry. It isn't like he was used a couple of times out of the back field. No, he was given 40 purposeful carries at LSU.
And, in case no one saw it, I'll provide you with a little blurb out of the great Lance Zierlein's official draft profile courtesy of NFL dot com:
"Thomas is likely to be viewed as a WR5 candidate with value as a return man, but teams could dig a little deeper on his potential as a running back."
Teams could dig a little deeper... on his potential as a... running back.
There it is.
Everybody wants to focus on his chops (or lack thereof) as a receiver, or even his potential as a return man, but what if Johnson has a different plan?
What if he is used out of the back field a lot like D.J. Moore was at times, but also in a wide variety of ways as a receiver and return man? That play speed of his, again, is something to behold. It's not just of the straight-line caliber.
Thomas' speed is real and it's the one thing that makes him look special on tape.
If there's one thing this coaching staff knows how to use, on both sides of the ball, it's speed.
Read more: Ryan Poles just put Tyrique Stevenson on notice with 'feisty' draft pick
At this point, I am willing to trust Ben Johnson to use that speed to his advantage. And, until opinions are proven right or wrong, that's probably the best approach to take.
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