The Bears drafted LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas — a distant relative of legendary running back Walter Payton — with the 89th pick Friday night.
The relation is somewhere on the family tree — “It’s still a long way, I ain’t gonna lie,” Thomas said — but it’s close enough to home for him to appreciate where he was drafted. Thomas grew up hearing stories about Payton. Just minutes after he was drafted by the Bears, Thomas’ grandpa told him he and Payton used to share a bed sometimes when they were kids.
Joining the Bears, then, means a lot. Thomas got a clue that the Bears were interested during a long phone call two weeks ago. The team was attracted to his straight-line speed — he ran a blazing 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine — as well as his versatility. At LSU, he played outside, in the slot, at running back and returned kicks and punts. He even tried throwing a few passes, something that has to intrigue coach Ben Johnson.
“This kid is special with the ball in his hand,” assistant college scouting director Francis St. Paul said. “He has the deep speed to play outside and quickness to play in the slot — and obviously his return ability is what really attracted us.”
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Thomas returned a punt for a touchdown in 2022 and kickoffs for touchdowns in both 2023 and 2024. The 22-year-old started his college career as a punt returner at Mississippi State before transferring to LSU after two years. He had 41 catches for 488 yards last year.
