How NFL experts graded the Bears' selection of Sam Roush

The Chicago Bears surprised everyone when they selected Stanford tight end Sam Roush with the 69th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tight end was far from a need for the Bears, with last year's standout Rookie Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet leading the way. But Chicago continued their strategy of selecting their best available, landing an elite blocker in Roush, who will help the run game and pass game thrive.

Roush, who stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 267 pounds, will bring toughness and physicality to Ben Johnson's offense. In four years with Stanford, Roush caught 119 passes for 1,201 yards and four touchdowns. But his role will be as a blocker in this offense, where Johnson wants to run the football and open things up for quarterback Caleb Williams.

Here’s a collection of all of the grades for Roush from various media outlets, where experts were divided about the Bears' selection. While some raved about Chicago landing a great blocker, others questioned why the team went tight end over bigger needs. USA Today: C Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz : "More bold tight end moves.

The cupboard clearly isn't bare in Chicago, but the offense adds another option in Roush. His short arms and drops are cause for concern, and Ben Johnson will have to tap into his trademark creative streak to extract proper value from him in the passing game, though he has some promising tools. " The Athletic: D+ Scott Dochterman : "The Bears have a significant need along the defensive line, but they’ve chosen to ignore it.