The Chicago Bears have selected Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad with the 124th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Chicago traded up five spots with the Carolina Panthers to make the selection.

It's the first defensive selection for the Bears since the first round, when they drafted safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick. Muhammad is also the second defensive back selected by Chicago in this draft.

The Bears add even more speed to Dennis Allen's defense after drafting Thieneman and adding safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush in free agency. Muhammad ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he's a competitive and physical addition to the secondary.

2026 NFL Draft: Bears select Dillon Thieneman in first round (No. 25)1 / 1How NFL experts graded the Bears' selection of Dillon Thieneman2026 NFL Draft: Bears select Dillon Thieneman in first round (No. 25)1 / 1How NFL experts graded the Bears' selection of Dillon Thieneman2026 NFL Draft: Bears select Dillon Thieneman in first round (No. 25)Here's what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein said about Muhammad: "Muhammad has good coverage talent to offset his slender frame. He can man up from press or off and is a plus pattern-matcher, staying in-phase and shadowing break points. He displays outstanding vision and adheres to his zone-cover principles, allowing him to play with ideal efficiency on all three levels. He can get outmuscled by big, strong wideouts inside the route and at the catch-point, but he doesn’t give in and usually holds his own. He does a nice job of chopping pass-catchers down in space but a lack of play strength shows up in occasional broken tackles. Muhammad has Day 2 talent and starter-level ability."

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Bears select Malik Muhammad with 124th pick