Of all the rookies coming into Bears camp on Saturday when the new recruits report to Halas Hall, third-round pick Zavion Thomas might be the biggest man of mystery.
What Thomas can do for the Bears and what they plan to do with him are great unknowns.
The good news for Thomas is he doesn't need to be something definitive and productive immediately, which lets him develop. This could be necessary.
"I mean, none of these (rookie) guys are finished products," Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor said. "So, it's really just growing as an entire player. Zavion Thomas moves like he’s in fast forward. Ben Johnson said today: He tends to make a play every day if we can harness all this energy and make sure that we can trust him and he’s going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to then we really… pic.twitter.com/wZN1v4Q9wa— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) June 10, 2026
"With him it's going to be different. He goes from Mississippi State to LSU, learns a new system, comes here, learns a new system that's probably a little bit more in-depth than he's ever been a part of. And then you're doing it and it continues. Every single day there's a new install, we're rolling pretty quick. So they're kind of drinking from a fire hose early on. You want to see when it, what point in training camp where it hits that they kind of, they're confident and then you start to see their skill set really flourish."The rookie average for wide receivers drafted in Round 3 over the last three drafts is 22 catches, 290 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers might look disappointing to some who have visions of grandeur for Thomas because of his 4.28-second speed in the 40, but the law of rookie receiver averages says he'll have to watch and learn much of this year. Zavion Thomas in 2026 https://t.co/mbGxa8Zf7o pic.twitter.com/fDDkWb1t0Q— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) June 12, 2026Best and worst expectations There were 17 third-round receivers in the last three drafts and Houston's Tank Dell came away with the best numbers at 47 receptions, 709 yards and seven TD catches. He also tossed in 11 punt returns for 100 yards and 44 yards on two kick returns. He hasn't had numbers that good since his rookie year but proved a player with the speed and quickness can come in immediately and have an impact.
