A core part of drafting successfully in the NFL is finding value. Put another way, it means adding players at a later pick who probably should’ve gone much earlier. It happens every year. The better teams always seem able to take advantage of players who fall further than they should. It felt like the Chicago Bears couldn’t take advantage of this for the longest time due to poor evaluations and team-building strategies. It appears that the process has finally changed under GM Ryan Poles.
He has reiterated time and again since taking over that his goal in every draft is to stick to the board. That means taking the best players, even if they might not be at positions of glaring need. Last week might’ve been the best example yet of this approach. Nobody considered tight end a big concern going into the 1st round. That didn’t stop the Bears from taking Colston Loveland 10th overall. However, Matt Miller of ESPN believes the crowning moment for Poles came 24 hours later when he made the #1 pick of the expert’s top 100.
1. Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears (Pick 2-39)
My final overall ranking: No. 13
Burden was my top wide receiver in the class (I’m counting Travis Hunter as a two-way player), and he landed in a great situation with the Bears and new coach Ben Johnson. Burden’s yards-after-catch ability is terrific, and Johnson’s scheme has been elite at creating space for wide receivers. Burden likely starts as a slot receiver with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze flanking him, but he thrived in that alignment at Missouri.
Ryan Poles stuck to his board when it mattered.
The story behind Burden is an all-too-familiar one. Chicago had been targeting Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson in the 2nd round. They were trying to trade up for him. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find a taker. New England ended up taking Henderson at #38. Rather than panic and trade down as some teams might, Poles stuck to his board. It was clear as day that Burden was the most talented player left on the board. His skill set drew comparisons to D.J. Moore and Deebo Samuel.
The primary concern was Burden’s work ethic. Critics of bad practice habits that followed him from college, along with an iffy interview process, likely scared some teams away. Ryan Poles loved the talent. Could he trust head coach Ben Johnson and wide receiver coach Antwaan Randle El to get the young man focused? They encountered the same challenges with Jameson Williams in Detroit. That worked out well. One must remember that Burden is only 21. Chicago feels he has a chance to be special once he matures.
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Well we will certainly have the best receiving core in the league, atleast on paper. Got a solid veteran Oline and a bunch of heavy hitters making plays. The only thing that coulda went better for this offense is if they landed Henderson. Either way the receiving threat on this team is insane. Hopefully our run game can compliment it too.
Poles is certainly NOT the only person responsible for the Bears atrocious record the past three years. But he is only one beside George who still has a job with the Bears. And George will never get fired… If Eberflus, Getsy, Waldron, and all the other coaches deserved to lose their jobs for poor performance, the only possible excuse you can make for Poles is that you like some of his draft moves, like bringing in DJ Moore, or drafting Caleb Williams… But the thing is – liking those moves is based on subjective analysis – you are projecting what… Read more »
Well said @Veece
It’s ridiculous how some blame Poles alone for the Bears last 3 years of losing records. Did you know that almost 1/3 of Super Bowl teams don’t even make the playoffs the next year? Many of you would claim the GM was great for getting them there but then turn around and blame that same GM for the team failures the following year! Did you know the Cowboys had bad teams 1986-89 winning just 3 and 1 game before going to 3 Super Bowls in 4 years? BTW, those teams had HoFers Irvin, Aikman and ESmith before they upgraded their… Read more »
Keep in mind that the writers all gave the Jags an “A” for trading away their future to take Hunter. We’ll see how that works out. That team has way more needs than a fast guy can fill, including at GM. Poles’ weakness is that he listens to the coaches too much. Yes, he tries to get them their guys but if the coach is gone in a couple of years he’s gonna wish he would have stuck to his guns. Now, I’m hoping Benny is around for a decade but that is not the reality in the N-F-L league.