Here's what a perfect rookie season would look like for every Bears 2026 draft pick

The excitement around this year's Chicago Bears rookie class has continued to gain steam. From training camp to the preseason, the Bears look like they've found some real playmakers -- and not all were drafted high.

Sure, Dillon Thieneman could be a potential star. But, he was drafted to be that.

Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson may have found a handful of perfect pieces not only for this year's team, but for the future, and some of them were drafted late.

Whether we're talking Thieneman or a Day 3 guy, the Bears could see just about every single one of their rookies contribute in a meaningful way this year. But what would make this rookie year "perfect" for them, individually?

That's the question we're out to answer.

Safety Dillon Thieneman's perfect rookie season would be capped off with a Kyle Hamilton-lite performance

Looking back at rookie seasons of recent first-round safeties, I checked out one in particular: Kyle Hamilton. He might be the best safety in football now, but as a rookie, he posted a similar line to the above measured goal.

If Thieneman can post a similar type of season while also instilling a sentiment of "Byard who? Brisker who?" into the minds of Bears fans, then he will have had the perfect season.

Obviously, no Coby Bryant makes this even tougher. But, he's a first-round talent for a reason.

Center Logan Jones' perfect rookie season is a difficult one to project

This is pretty simple, but it's also somewhat difficult to try and give Jones a measured goal. Garrett Bradbury is the starter for 2026, but if he were to go down with an injury, the Bears would need to turn to the rookie right away.

Staying healthy is really the only measured goal I have for Jones, and it could be a big one.

His practice reps, throughout the season, will give Ben Johnson the confidence needed to make him the starter in 2027 when Bradbury's contract is up.

Tight End Sam Roush is well on his way to a perfect rookie season

Roush showed off his receiving chops in the preseason and had some strong camp performances as well. He's still clearly the TE3, but after 2026, he could easily move into the TE2 role if the Bears cut ties with or trade Cole Kmet.

In order to confidently move from Kmet to Roush in 2027, the Bears just need to see him continue to excel in the dirty work. If Roush proves to be a valuable blocker in 12 or 13 personnel, that's all the Bears need to see. We've already seen enough in terms of him being a capable receiver next to Colston Loveland.

Wide Receiver Zavion Thomas could prove everyone wrong with a perfect rookie season

Talk about simple. This is as straightforward as it gets. Forget receptions, yards or any punt/kick return averages. Whatever Zavion Thomas' role is as a rookie, if he scores five touchdowns total, that's about as perfect a season as you could ask for.

He's not going to be relied on to be a huge asset in the passing game. He'll get manufactured and designed touches on potentially-big plays, for sure. But that won't happen on a regular basis. He'll be sprinkled in. And when he is, it should be pure explosion.

Thomas could end up being a real difference maker on special teams, too.

If he scores a few touchdowns as a rookie, everybody will completely forget that he was "supposed" to be a late Day 3 pick.

Cornerback Malik Muhammad is already en route to a perfect rookie season

This is a tender subject. But, it is abundantly clear the Bears want to move on from Kyler Gordon.

They drafted Muhammad as an outside corner, but obviously had plans to move him inside if Gordon's injury issues continued -- and that is precisely what has happened.

Right now, Muhammad appears to be the starter in Gordon's place. A perfect rookie season would see him make all 17 starts in that position. Forget the stats. Forget specifics. If Muhammad finishes his rookie year starting all 17 games as the Bears' nickel corner, that means he will have done enough to keep the job and, hopefully, allow the Bears to part with Gordon.

As painful as that might be, it's the perfect outcome.

Linebacker Keyshaun Elliott's perfect rookie season is almost impossible to measure

Fifth-round rookie Keyshaun Elliott missed almost all of training camp because of a back issue. He's also buried on the depth chart. But, he made the team and he has traits that both Poles and Johnson love.

If he stays healthy and can play in 17 games, contributing on special teams, that's a perfect rookie season. The Bears don't need him to start on defense, nor will he.

The other point, here, is that he is able to create enough momentum in practice, this season, to allow the Bears to entertain starting him in 2027 while allowing Bush to make money elsewhere. Bush is on a one-year deal, so this job very well could be Elliott's in Year 2.

Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg's perfect rookie season feels like destiny

We didn't know the Bears were potentially drafting the next great interior pass rusher in Round 6, but that is exactly what Jordan van den Berg has looked like over the past couple of months. His ability to get to the quarterback is absolutely stunning to watch.

We know Chicago needs more pass rush help. We didn't know van den Berg could end up being a huge help in that regard. But after his preseason performance led to the Bears actually trading Gervon Dexter Sr., the hype is now more real than ever before.

If he came up with 5.0 sacks as a rookie interior defensive lineman, he'd absolutely make us all forget about Dexter. Last year, Dexter posted 6.0 on his own (in Year 3, mind you), but the inconsistencies in creating pressure were there. He'd be great one play and disappear the next.

Read more: Why Ben Johnson is right (and experts are wrong) about Bears' top 3 pass catchers

Van den Berg has shown an ability to go 100 miles an hour on every snap. That's the difference.

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