Why Cortez Hankton Likely Swayed The Bears To Gamble On Zavion Thomas
Zavion Thomas was definitely the biggest risk the Chicago Bears took in the 2026 NFL draft. The wide receiver failed to produce a standout season in two years at LSU. Yet the team still felt comfortable taking him in the 3rd round. Why? Part of it was his standout ability as a returner. That is something the Bears lost when Devin Duvernay left in free agency. Another part was his speed. Not many guys run a 4.28. However, another factor likely convinced the organization that Thomas was worth the risk. His name is Cortez Hankton.
Most people probably don’t recognize the name. Hankton is a former NFL wide receiver who bounced around the league for a few years. He then finished things up in the first iteration of the UFL. A year after retiring, he became a wide receivers coach at Dartmouth. It didn’t take long for bigger programs to catch wind of his ability. He spent three years at Vanderbilt before getting the call to go to Georgia. There, he helped them win a national championship in 2021. That success saw LSU lure him back home to Louisiana. In the past seven years, Hankton has earned a reputation for developing several future NFL standout receivers.
| Player | School | Draft Year | Round (Pick) | NFL Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malik Nabers | LSU | 2024 | 1st (6) | New York Giants |
| Brian Thomas Jr. | LSU | 2024 | 1st (23) | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Ladd McConkey | Georgia | 2024 | 2nd (34) | Los Angeles Chargers |
| George Pickens | Georgia | 2022 | 2nd (52) | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Mecole Hardman | Georgia | 2019 | 2nd (56) | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Arian Smith | Georgia | 2025 | 4th (118) | New York Jets |
| Riley Ridley | Georgia | 2019 | 4th (126) | Chicago Bears |
| Terry Godwin | Georgia | 2019 | 7th (237) | Carolina Panthers |
When you hear about Cortez Hankton, things start making sense.
In listening to how wide receivers talk about him, they describe a guy who coaches with relentless intent. He’s hard on players, making sure they are always on top of their details. There are no shortcuts. At the same time, he doesn’t operate like a big-headed boss. Players are allowed to contact him whenever they want. No questions are off limits. He also supports them whenever they have issues away from the field.
If that sounds familiar, it is because that description also fits Bears head coach Ben Johnson. He probably saw the finer details of how Thomas operated as a receiver and recognized the potential. The Bears’ rookie even admitted Hankton had a massive impact on his progress in just one year.
“Compared to my junior year to my senior year, he turned me into a whole different receiver.”
People forget this isn’t the first time somebody gambled on one of his pupils who didn’t have an overly productive college career. Hardman never had more than 540 yards in a season for Georgia. Yet Kansas City still took him in the 2nd round in 2019. He had three solid seasons for the Chiefs to start his career, helping them win the Super Bowl as a rookie and again in 2022. Thomas is the exact same size and actually a bit faster. If Hardman could do it, why can’t he?
If nothing else, we know Thomas is prepared.
This isn’t a kid coming into the NFL completely blind. That is a common problem for many young receivers these days. Most of them dominated college football thanks to a mixture of pass-heavy offenses and sheer athletic talent. Not enough programs put in the effort to teach kids how to play the position like a professional. Cortez Hankton is different. He goes out of his way to prepare young men not just to win games, but to give themselves the best possible chance to succeed at the highest level.
Prominent draft experts even admitted Thomas had made significant progress as a route-runner in 2025. Here is a snippet of what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote about him.
“Late leverage pushes coverage out of his downfield break. Sharp snap at the top of his comeback routes.”
It is possible that Thomas’s evolution was already underway. He was just plagued by misfortune around him. Starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier missed a month of action with injuries. Head coach Brian Kelly was fired midseason. There was zero continuity around him, and when that happens, it is difficult to produce. Still, the Bears saw enough to feel there was untapped potential. No doubt Hankton’s influence played a big part.