Bears Loved Attributes, Total Package of Malik Muhammad, Had to Jump Bills to Get Him

Editor's note: The original version of this article misattributed a quote, which has been corrected in the final version.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles typically prefers a strategy of 'wait and see' when it comes to the NFL draft. In fact, he recently doubled down on his draft strategy of watching how the board falls and drafting the best player available. But when Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad fell into Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft, Poles couldn't wait. For just the second time as a general manager, he traded up in the draft order to get his guy.

On the surface, one can see several reasons why Poles and the Bears liked Muhammad enough to trade up for him. Adding his blazing 4.41 speed to the Bears' secondary could deter quarterbacks from throwing up 50-50 balls against Chicago. He was also ranked fairly high by most draft analysts; Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked Muhammad as the 11th-best cornerback in his annual draft guide and had a third-round grade on him.

Bears' national scout John Syty spoke to the media after the selection of Muhammad. "From a coverage standpoint, obviously that translates to athleticism," he said. "For him, the ability to play man, stick at the top of routes is one of his strengths. And then instincts and zone coverage, too, is also a strength of this player. [He's] kind of a combo guy that can do a couple different things for us on defense."

Ryan Poles was right to finally get aggressive in this draft

In 2025, Muhammad allowed a 37.4 QB rating against him, which is only slightly better than if opposing quarterbacks simply threw the ball into the dirt at his feet. He also earned PFF grades of no less than 70.8 over the last three seasons.

"We like the way that he covers, we liked the play style. . . . he adds competition to that corner room," Poles said.

Simply put, Muhammad had no business being available in the fourth round, and the Bears were right to move up to get him. As I've said before, cornerback is still a need for this defense. They need a guy who can play on the boundary opposite of two-time Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson and hold his own. Otherwise, opposing quarterbacks can ignore Johnson's side of the field and pick on the CB2. With Muhammad in the mix for that starting job, Chicago may finally field a complete secondary that can shut down passing attacks.

The Bottom Line

I'm not here to tell you that Muhammad is going to be a stone-cold killer for the Bears on Day 1. There are weaknesses to his game, and he needs to bulk up before he meets NFL receivers or he will get bullied in coverage. However, the traits and technical skills of a quality starter are all there, and he should provide a stable floor in Chicago's cornerback room alongside Johnson and Kyler Gordon.

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