Bears stick with theme in fourth round, select speedy cornerback from Texas after trading up
The Chicago Bears prioritized adding speed and versatility to their roster during the first two days of the NFL draft. That pushed continued into Saturday.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles continued adding a speedster to his secondary when he selected Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round at No. 124.
“I’m bringing everything,” Muhammad told reporters virtually Saturday. “I’m bringing instincts, high IQ, a technician, a communicator, a great teammate, a great guy in the locker room.”
The Bears originally held No. 129 at the start of the day. But they traded that pick and No. 144 to the Carolina Panthers for No. 124 and No. 166.
Muhammad played in 41 games over three seasons with the Longhorns. As a junior last year, Muhammad finished with two interceptions, four passes defended, one sack and 30 tackles, 2.5 for a loss. He finished his career with three interceptions, 16 passes defended and 97 tackles.
There was a chance that Muhammad could’ve been taken higher in the draft had he returned to Texas and increased his numbers. But Muhammad was confident in his decision to declare for the draft and that he could make a difference in the Bears secondary at different points.
“An all-around DB, not just a cornerback,” Muhammad said. “I can play inside too. I can play nickel also. And I can play multiple coverages. I can play man, I can play zone, pattern match, true zone, I can blitz. I feel like they’re getting a well-rounded cornerback.”
Muhammad is a bit on the smaller size at 6-foot, something the Bears have shied away from with some of their cornerback choices over the past year. Though he increased his weight to 193 pounds after he weighed 182 at the combine.
Although Muhammad is on the smaller side, he does well in coverage. That should match well with how Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen likes to run his defense.
He’s also got good speed, running the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, something that’s also been a point of interest this offseason.
The Bears weren’t too concerned about his size. They were confident that he would continue to grow and liked what they saw with how he played in coverage.
“The speed and you factor in a little bit of length with that, from a coverage standpoint, obviously that translates to athleticism,” Bears national scout John Syty said. “So for him, the ability to play man, stick at the top of routes is one of his strengths. And then continuing with that instincts and zone coverage too is also a strength of this player. So kind of a combo guy that can do a couple different things for us on defense.”
Muhammad will join a talented cornerback room as he will compete for snaps.
Former All-Pro Jaylon Johnson leads the group, while Tyrique Stevenson will enter the final year of his rookie contract. The Bears will also return backup Terell Smith. Last year’s fifth-round pick, Zah Frazier, is expected to return after missing all of his rookie season for personal reasons.
Muhammad was excited to get to work with Bears defensive backs coach/defensive pass game coordinator Al Harris. His high school defensive coordinator from high school knew Harris, and Muhammad heard great things.
“Just knowing his history, his history of the corners that he’s coached before, how he has played also, so yeah, I know I’ve got a great coach,” Muhammad said. “I know I’m coming into a great situation.”