How the Chicago Bears plan to maximize rookie speedster Zavion Thomas

General manager Ryan Poles had a look about him on the second night of the NFL draft last month as he sold Zavion Thomas, a third-round pick from LSU, as a dangerous return specialist and a speed weapon for the Chicago Bears offense.

Thomas’ college video, Poles emphasized, was “fun to watch,” the kind of “Get in here!” experience that enlivens the hallways around the offices of NFL talent evaluators and coaches.

First and foremost, Poles was struck by Thomas’ natural explosiveness.

“There’s acceleration,” he said. “It’s that ‘zero-to 60’ (increase) where you can just feel it. When he throttles down, he can take off and get up to high speeds quickly.”

Poles also admired Thomas’ instincts and vision, as well as the play strength in his skill set to maneuver through traffic.

Case in point: Check out Thomas’ 65-yard touchdown catch in October at Vanderbilt, a broken play that became six points after Thomas worked back to the football, caught a pass just beyond the line of scrimmage, then — despite at one point being surrounded by seven Commodores defenders — pinballed into open space and turned on the jets.

“This kid,” Bears assistant director of college scouting Francis Saint Paul said, “is special with the ball in his hands. … He has the ability to make people miss. And even though he’s a shorter guy (5-foot-10, 190 pounds), he’s strong.”

That whole package, the Bears felt, made it worth selecting Thomas as both a special teams bottle rocket and as a playmaker to sprinkle into Ben Johnson’s offensive plans.

Best of all, Johnson is enthusiastic about Thomas’ skills. He believes the receiver’s traits are solid complements to what the group already has in Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Kalif Raymond. Thomas has also showcased the versatility to align just about anywhere — from outside to the slot, even in the backfield, with the ability to run hard between the tackles when asked — plus elite speed to threaten defenses consistently.

It’s no wonder Johnson, offensive coordinator Press Taylor and receivers coach Antwaan Randle El all reached a consensus that Thomas was a player they could work with.

“We all have a vision for how this guy could really help us,” Johnson said.

The development process will ramp up this weekend as the Bears hold rookie minicamp in Lake Forest. And the in-house vision, Poles emphasized, feels familiar from his days in Kansas City, where he watched coach Andy Reid get in the lab and go to work with the talent he was given.

“You look next to you and (Ben) is sketching out plays,” Poles said. “So yeah, when you go through that, and he can see it, and there’s a vision for it, you have confidence.

“Obviously, the player has to do his part, and there’s development and things like that. It’s not (going to happen) overnight. But any time there’s clarity on how we’re going to use players, (it’s exciting).”

To be clear, it’s unlikely Thomas will be a major factor in the offense in 2026. His biggest opportunities to cause damage will likely come as a returner. He had two kickoff return touchdowns plus a punt return score at Mississippi State and LSU. And with recent alterations to the NFL kickoff setup, the Bears see a player whose elite speed can be used frequently.

Thomas’ 4.28-second time in the 40-yard dash at the combine in February was head-turning, evidence of his explosiveness. Plus, it wasn’t a clean dash, per Thomas, who felt like he made a slightly awkward step shortly after takeoff.

“When I took the bad step,” he said, “in my mind I was like, ‘Dang, I just ran a 4.3.’ But after the fact, I was coming back and I heard the crowd get a little loud.”

A combine staffer caught Thomas’ eye.

“He had made a face at me. I’m like, ‘What I ran?’ He said, ‘4.28.’ I was like, ‘Yeah. Yeah.’ I knew that was coming,” Thomas said.

Johnson is now familiar with Thomas’ speed and eager to utilize it.

“Those guys don’t grow on trees,” Johnson said.

As for those Chicago fans fearful that Thomas — a speedy special teams weapon with refinement needed as a receiver — might be a newer version of Velus Jones Jr., a 2022 third-round pick who flamed out with the Bears, it’s important to distinguish the differences.

For starters, Thomas seems to catch the football cleaner than Jones ever did. His instincts and feel for the game seem more natural as well.

The Bears also fell in love with the competitive energy Thomas exudes.

“That’s something I’ve been having in me since I was a kid, since I fell in love with the game,” Thomas said. “I play the game with a different type of aggression, with a different mentality.”

So perhaps there’s another Bears comp to at least consider: Tarik Cohen.

In 2017 Cohen arrived at Halas Hall as a fourth-round pick out of North Carolina A&T. He ran a 4.42 40 at the combine and excelled with his rare play strength. He quickly emerged as a weapon as a rookie on both offense and special teams.

And in his second season in 2018, with new coach Matt Nagy using him as a chess piece, Cohen turned 170 offensive touches into 1,169 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. He was also named first-team All-Pro after averaging 12.5 yards per punt return.

Cohen had gifts. And the Bears found shrewd ways to use him.

Thomas doesn’t figure to get nearly as many opportunities. As a rookie, perhaps an average of four or five total touches per game seems reasonable. Yet the union with Johnson feels exciting.

“When you have that level of creativity where you can put guys in position to really highlight their specific traits to create an advantage, you welcome that all the time,” Poles said.

This weekend, the orientation begins. From there Thomas’ evolution will be worth tracking.

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