Ryan Poles Reveals Why Day 2 Had No Defensive Picks — And The Brutal Truth Behind It

Day one of the 2026 NFL draft unfolded pretty well for the Chicago Bears. They were able to land one of the two best safeties in the class by selecting Dillon Thieneman out of Oregon. That gave them a plug-and-play starter next to Coby Bryant on the back end of the defense. Most fans believe the defensive blitz would continue on day two. The Bears had three picks in that range, and still needed help along the defensive line and at linebacker. Yet something went wrong. It started with center Logan Jones at #57 overall. Then, after a trade down, the Bears took Stanford tight end Sam Roush. Finally, they completed the baffling run with LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas at #89 overall. People couldn’t understand what general manager Ryan Poles was thinking.

He got the chance to answer after the 3rd round concluded. His response was pretty clear. The Bears were following their board.

“Yeah, the board…the class…a little life at the back of the round. It’s different. But it’s really how the board shook out. When we made that turn in the two (2nd round), we had a good sense through our research that there was going to kind of be a hot spot at the very top of two. It wasn’t really possible to get up that high without giving up a ton. At the end of the day, we just followed the board.”

This may sound like an excuse, but the harsh truth is that Poles was correct. From pick #35 at the top of the 2nd round to pick #55, no fewer than nine defensive linemen came off the board. By that point, all the guys with high grades were gone, leading them to pivot to Jones. Two more went at the top of the 3rd round, likely pushing their selection of Roush, and then four more went before the final pick at #89.

Ryan Poles experienced this same issue last year.

For those who may not remember, the Bears were caught in the same situation regarding running backs in 2025. Three top guys came off the board between their 10th overall pick and their first 2nd round pick on day two. The Bears chose to pivot to wide receiver Luther Burden rather than force the issue. It happened again in the 4th round with Bhayshul Tuten and Cam Skattebo going in the first three picks. Poles decided to trade down from #109 as a result, picking up some extra capital.

This is exactly what is happening with the defensive line this year for the Bears. It isn’t that they don’t want to invest in that area of the roster. The nature of this draft has just made it impossible. Yes, they could’ve chased somebody anyway. No one would’ve batted an eye. However, that isn’t a smart way to build a roster in Ryan Poles’ mind. You have to accept that sometimes the board doesn’t break your way. Grab the best players you can and figure the rest out later. It’s not like the Bears completely fumbled it.

They added some strong talent.

Jones is a highly experienced and athletic center who is a perfect fit for this offense. He could play immediately, but likely won’t have to because of Garrett Bradbury’s presence. Roush is the best blocking tight end in this class. He’s big, tough, physical, and violent through the whistle. He’s also more athletic than he gets credit for, giving him some upside as a pass-catcher. The one pick you can question is Thomas. Most experts believed he was a late-round option at best, given his smaller size and lack of production in college.

That said, he has legitimate 4.28 speed and serious versatility, having logged snaps at wide receiver, running back, and returner. If anybody can get something out of him, it’s Ben Johnson. Would it have been great if the Bears had gotten some defensive talent instead? Sure. However, things didn’t break that way. They still have Thieneman and added some quality free agents like Bryant, Devin Bush, and Neville Gallimore. The draft also isn’t over. Don’t forget the Bears still landed that running back last year with Kyle Monangai. Maybe lightning will strike again.