Building a successful team in the NFL is difficult, especially when starting from scratch. Ryan Poles has done some impressive work morphing the Chicago Bears into a viable roster. Their defense is one of the best in the NFL. Even the offense finally has legitimate firepower at wide receiver and tight end. However, Poles isn’t perfect. He’s made some questionable moves that have slowed the speed of his rebuilding efforts. Trading for Chase Claypool is one example. Signing Nate Davis and D’Andre Swift to sizable free agent contracts are others.
Still, that won’t stop Poles from continuing his efforts to elevate this team into the NFC playoff picture. The big question is, what will his focus be going into the 2025 NFL draft? He has three picks in the first two rounds. There will be a significant opportunity to further fortify the roster. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy spotted the Bears GM on the field for the highly-anticipated Georgia-Alabama game. He is only one of two general managers in attendance. One look at the talent on the field and it’s not hard to see the main reason Poles was there.
- Georgia G Tate Ratledge (Projected 3rd round)
- Georgia G Dylan Fairchild (Projected 4th round)
- Georgia C Jared Wilson (Projected 5th round)
- Alabama C Parker Brailsford (Projected 3rd round)
- Alabama G Tyler Booker (Projected 2nd round)
- Alabama G Jaeden Roberts (Projected 2nd round)
Ryan Poles is clearly focused on offensive line help.
That is especially true for the interior. Chicago has allowed 13 sacks on Caleb Williams through three games. They’ve also blocked for the third-worst rushing attack in the NFL. It has been a major area of weakness since the start of the season. Davis was already benched at right guard in favor of veteran Matt Pryor. Planned center Ryan Bates is on Injured Reserve with a shoulder problem. The lack of stability up front continues to haunt this team. It is high time they attack the trenches early and often in this upcoming draft.
While Ryan Poles has addressed the offensive line in the draft since arriving, all of his higher picks have been at offensive tackle. Darnell Wright was a 1st rounder. Kiran Amegadjie went in the 3rd round this year. Braxton Jones was a pleasant surprise as a 5th rounder in 2022. The highest Poles has taken an interior lineman was the 6th round, selecting Zachary Thomas and Doug Kramer two years ago. He’s been leaning heavily on veterans like Davis, Coleman Shelton, Lucas Patrick, and Michael Schofield to pick up the slack.
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It seems he is finally ready to do something about that.
