With their third pick of the night, the Chicago Bears have selected LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas with the 89th pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

The theme of this offseason has been speed, and Thomas (5’10 3/8″, 190 pounds) ran a 4.28 forty at the NFL Combine.

He can return punts and kickoffs (95 combined returns in his collegiate career), and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein believes he may be able to play running back in the NFL, and considering he’s a distant relative of Walter Payton, that tracks.

He caught 41 balls for 488 yards in 2025, playing mostly as a boundary receiver, but over the last three years, he had 40 rushes for 198 yards (5.0). The Bears can use him in a gadget role as a rookie while he develops his route running.

We’ll record an immediate reaction podcast about the selection, so check that out right here as soon as it publishes from our 2nd City Gridiron channels.