Hello, Chicago Bears fans! I have covered the Thieneman post-1st round draft pick press conference, and I looked at highlights from the press conferences of the three players the Bears took on Day 2. Now I turn to the Day 3 picks and the press conferences for the players taken on the back end of the 2026 draft. The Bears made moves on Day – moving up twice – a rarity for Ryan Poles, to take players they had targeted. So, let’s get into the Day 3 pressers/interviews/scout reactions (since Day 3 picks do not necessarily have a post-draft press conference), and I’ll give my thoughts on some of the questions and answers for the new Bears. Let’s start with round 4 and the first of two trade-ups on Day 3 as the Bears move up in Round 4 with the Carolina Panthers, our old trade buddies, to take Malik Muhammad, CB, out of the University of Texas at 124 overall. First, here is how Malik Muhammad reacted to the news he was drafted by the Bears:
A stoic reaction to say the least. We will get into that in a moment. But first, let’s hear what the area scout, John Syty, had to say about drafting Malik Muhammad:
Syty was asked about the importance of speed at the position and how Muhammad fits what the Bears are looking for at in the boundary corner position:
“Yeah for sure – you guys just said the speed and you factor in a little bit of length with that, from a coverage standpoint, obviously that translates into athleticism, so for him, the ability to play man, stick at the top of routes, is one of his traits, and then continue with that, instincts in zone coverage too, is also a strength of this player, so he is kind of a combo guy that can do a couple different things for us on defense.”
Malik issued a statement as his stone-faced reaction to being drafted by the Bears went viral, and some on X and other social media sites questioned whether he was happy to be a Chicago Bear:
“In light of my draft night video going viral, I wanted to take a moment to address it. Hearing my name called was a dream come true. I was overwhelmed with excitement and emotion. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity and ready to continue my career at the highest level. I can’t wait to get to work and do everything I can to make the city of Chicago proud. Thank you to the Bears organization!”
Gooch Perspective: A cornerback who can be effective in press-man and zone coverage is worth his weight in gold, but Malik is a bit light when it comes to his weight. If he can add 10 to 15 pounds without losing his athleticism, and given his young age, that is a possibility; he could be an absolute steal in the 4th round. I also liked the fact he came up big against big-time competition – particularly against Ohio State, as Syty notes. We need defensive backs who can perform on the big stage. I think social media made way too much of his reaction to being drafted – I saw focus and determination in Malik’s reaction, not indifference to being taken by the Chicago Bears. As Syty said in the press conference, relating the story in which Malik told Taffee, a safety drafted this year out of Texas, that he needed to see himself at the top of the board if he wanted to be in the NFL. Syty said Malik is “hard-wired to play in the NFL,” and I agree.
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Next up, we have the pick in Round 5 of the 2026 NFL Draft that the Bears got from trading down in the 2nd round to the 3rd, where they selected TE Sam Roush from Stanford. With the 166th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears took Keyshaun Elliot, LB, Arizona State. Here is the interview with Elliot after he was selected by the Bears by Bears beat reporters, including Adam Jahns of CHGO:
Jahns asked Elliot about having read that Elliot models his game after Fred Warner and Elliot answered:
“Yeah, I think, if you’re any type of linebacker you want to be someone great like Fred Warner, one of the best linebackers in the league, and everything he does from the off the field to on the field is elite, and you look at a linebacker that is a game changer – he is going to punch that ball out and be disruptive in the running game. So – just – his overall disruptiveness is something that ya know I want to take away from him. How is he getting all these forced fumbles and getting into passing lanes? So just watching his game, and you know and lot of it is just a reflection of how much time he puts into the game watching film and everything – playing before the snap so you know, a great guy to watch film.”
Gooch Perspective: While I think it’s great that Elliot looks to Fred Warner as a standard he wants to set for himself, the part of the interview that I loved, loved, loved, was his answer about how he saw himself as a contributor on special teams. That his answer was that meeting with the special teams coach would be “the first thing I do” and that he knows it will be a priority for him coming into the league demonstrates both a maturity in understanding where a 5th round linebacker needs to make his mark coming into the league, but also demonstrates his passion for the game – special teamers are in it to win it and I love that Elliot sees himself thriving in that role. Also love the fact he was a gym rat at Arizona State (won the Iron Devil award) and an All-State punter in high school – this is a special kid.
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The Bears traded their two picks in the 7th round to the Buffalo Bills to trade up into Round 6 and take Jordan van den Berg, DT from Georgia Tech, with the 213th pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Here is his interview with Chicago Bears beat reporters after being selected by the Bears:
Jordan was asked about the athletic prowess of his grandparents (his grandfather was a bodybuilder and his grandmother was a competitive swimmer) with the first question of the interview and he had this to say:
“Yeah, so, I am fortunate to come from a really athletic background. My grandfather was a five-time Mr. South Africa, body builder, best body builder in South Africa – he competed against Arnold [Schwarzenegger] in the Mr. Universe competition, and he placed six that year. And my grandmother, she was a national swimmer for South Africa, and she held multiple South African swimming records and represented South Africa in the Empire Games along with her brother as well.”
Jordan was also asked how he would fit into the d-line in Chicago, and he had this response:
“No, definitely, I know you guys have a lot of talent, and I feel like I am able to bring some of the pieces that you guys have, you know I feel like I am able to dive deeply into backfields, and to make some plays, and I feel like you guys are a very aggressive front, so I feel like that fits me.”
Gooch Perspective: I love the athletic lineage this kid has, and it shows up in his RAS score, which was a perfect 10.00. I think the reason he was here in the sixth round, despite the eye-popping physical ability, is he got stuck behind a deep roster at Penn State, so he had to transfer to Georgia Tech to show his ability and production on the field. I am also encouraged by the fact that he already owns a laundromat – that his Dad preached to him the fact that “life-changing money is only life-changing money if you put it to use.”
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He seems to have a good head on his shoulders – and the fact he picked that business because he wanted to “give back to his community” demonstrates he has a perspective of public service – man, I am rooting for this kid to make it.
So, what do you think about the interviews of and about the Chicago Bears Day 3 picks? Tell us in the comments below!
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