Coach Ben Johnson was elated after the Bears strengthened their roster in the NFL Draft with intense competitors who are consumed by football.
General manager Ryan Poles delivered, selecting seven prospects who share the same characteristics that the reigning NFC North champions covet.
"I couldn't be more pleased with Ryan and his crew," Johnson said. "These scouts went out [last] fall and they collected all kinds of information. I think they absolutely nailed it. We found guys that fit our DNA and what we want to be about.
"We're looking for high-level competitors; guys that if you took football away from them, they really don't know what to do with themselves. It's a huge part; they eat it, they sleep it, they breathe it, and I think we're able to identify those type of guys. When you have guys like that, they usually find a way to come out on top."
Johnson views first-round pick Dillon Thieneman as a rare commodity: a safety that opposing offenses will have to account for. The 6-foot, 201-pounder will bring speed, versatility and an aggressive play style to coordinator Dennis Allen's defense.
"Being an offensive guy, it's rare that you see a safety as a guy who you really worry about," Johnson said. "And yet it was pretty quickly that you could turn on his tape and realize he is always around the football; he has a knack for the football. He is a great tackler and when he does it, he does it with violence. To me, his style of play showed up ... I really do think he's going to be one of those rare safety types that coordinators are going to have to account for."
Second-round pick Logan Jones, a center from Iowa, started 51 games over four seasons for the Hawkeyes and won the Rimington Trophy last year as the best center in the nation.
"We were really smitten with Logan throughout the process," Johnson said. "Logan was at the top of the list for us. We felt convicted as a staff, coaching staff and personnel side that he was our guy. The mental is top notch. We saw all the traits we're looking for, whether it's the run game or pass pro. And we brought him in for a top 30 [visit], and I think that's when it really solidified it for us that, yeah, he has the makeup."
Third-round selection Sam Roush, a 6-6, 267-pound tight end from Stanford, is an aggressive inline blocker who can also contribute as a pass catcher.
"He's a finisher through the whistle and I think that showed up on a consistent basis," Johnson said. "It didn't matter who he was blocking—could be a big guy, could be a little DB—he consistently finished through the whistle each and every play.
"You always love it when you take a player and you get a text message from somebody. One of his coaches at Stanford said he will crush himself to do whatever he can to help the football team. It just verifies what you already thought about the player, so feel good about that one."
Third-round pick Zavion Thomas, a 5-10, 190-pounder, is an ultra-fast receiver who is also a dangerous return specialist.
"He's got a unique skill set, just in terms of he's a 4.2 guy (in the 40), and those guys don't grow on trees," Johnson said. "It's easy to look at because that flashes up and everyone sees it, but yet when you turn on the tape, it's more than just being able to run deep routes. The versatility that he showed both at Mississippi State and at LSU from the backfield, whether it's running routes or getting handoffs, and then the returning aspect of it, I think it all adds up.
"Coach [Antwaan] Randle El, myself, [offensive coordinator] Press Taylor, we all have a vision of how this guy could really help us. It's a complement to what Rome [Odunze] does best, Luther [Burden III] does best, Kalif [Raymond] does best. So [Thomas] is a guy that we really feel like can play a key component in what we want to do this year."
After drafting offensive players with all three of their second and third round selections Friday night, the Bears picked three defensive prospects Saturday: Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott in the fifth and Georgia Tech tackle Jordan van den Berg in the sixth.
The Bears traded up five spots to land Muhammad, a fast, lengthy and athletic 6-foot, 182-pounder who has the ability to play both man and zone coverage.
"He's someone that we talked about," Poles said. "Al [Harris], DA and I, we like the way that he covers. We like the play style and we think there's room for him to continue to improve too. So, add competition to that corner room, and we think that he can positively impact us and give us more depth early. And as he grows into something bigger, we'll see how that goes."
Poles described Elliott as a prospect who plays a "physical brand of football, has really good size [and] can run." The 6-2, 231-pounder also projects as a special teams contributor.
"[Special teams coordinator Richard] Hightower has a huge say in this whole deal, too," Poles said. "We want to make sure those guys can perform on special teams, which is going to help them make the active roster, which is important."
After not being invited to the NFL Combine, Van den Berg peaked the Bears' interest with an impressive performance at Georgia Tech's Pro Day, bench-pressing 225 pounds 35 times and clocking a 4.9 in the 40.
The 6-3, 310-pounder grew up in South Africa playing rugby and cricket. He moved to the United States with his family when he was 10 and initially played basketball and baseball before starting to play football as a high school sophomore.
The Bears traded up into the sixth round to draft Van den Berg, sending two seventh-round selections (Nos. 239 and 241) to the Bills.
"He was a player that we identified that we want to go get," Poles said. "I don't think he would have lasted to us in the seventh, so we were a little bit more aggressive. Went and got him. And you could tell with the energy that came through the building, and especially our D-line coaches, they were fired up. So, really excited how we finished this draft."
