The 2nd round of the 2025 draft was a hectic one for the Chicago Bears. It featured all sorts of twists and turns that GM Ryan Poles had to navigate. Initially, they planned to use their first of two picks on running back TreVeyon Henderson of Ohio State. Unfortunately, that fell through after New England took him one spot ahead of them. So the Bears pivoted to wide receiver Luther Burden. Then the action intensified when they realized they wanted to grab both Boston College offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was a big fan of the latter. There was one problem.
The odds of either falling to the 3rd round were negligible. That left Poles with a difficult task. He had to swing a trade that would give the Bears another 2nd round pick, improving the chances of getting both. Buffalo came to the rescue with an offer that landed them the 56th and 62nd picks. Poles faced another issue, though: who to take first. Feeling the offensive tackle group took a steep dive after the 2nd round, he opted to go with Trapilo. From there, a tense wait ensued as the team waited to see if Turner dropped.
At one point, Poles told Allen the odds of the defensive tackle reaching #62. It was a clear indication that the GM was willing to move up if required. Allen, to his credit, said he was okay with staying put. His decision proved wise.
Dennis Allen showed his experience with that decision.
One must not forget he was a head coach in Oakland and New Orleans. He understands how to navigate the tense atmosphere of a draft room. Sometimes you need to be aggressive, and other times you should be patient. He heard the odds and calculated it was in his and the team’s best interests to stay put. The Bears got their guy in the end. Not only that, but the decision not to move up also ensured the team landed linebacker Ruben Hyppolite and cornerback Zah Frazier to improve the defensive depth. Dennis Allen liking players from Texas A&M also wasn’t a surprise. When you’ve coached Von Miller and Erik McCoy, it’s easy to gain an appreciation for a program. It will be fun to see how Allen deploys Turner moving forward.
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