Friday, March 15, 2024

Former GM Had Fascinating Comments On Bears Trading The #1 Pick

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Sometimes the best people to answer questions about major draft decisions are the men who have made them. GM Ryan Poles is the first man since George Halas to hold the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. That kind of responsibility must be crushing. He knows whatever decision he makes with it could determine the next decade of his franchise. Unsurprisingly, opinions are mixed. Some feel Poles should sit tight and take the best player on his board. Others think he has to take this chance to trade down, stockpiling loads of extra picks to help build one of the NFL’s worst rosters.

What would another GM do in his position? Adam Hoge of CHGO had a chance to ask this question on the CHGO Bears podcast when they hosted former Atlanta Falcons GM, Thomas Dimitroff. He ran that organization for over a decade from 2008 to 2020. He was in the war room many times making such decisions. When asked whether he’d stay put or trade down if he were in Poles’ spot, Dimitroff offered an interesting perspective.

The Chicago Bears must decide if such a move is worth it.

Dimitroff’s position was one shared by many GMs. Trading down ran too much of a risk of missing out on top players. He’d rather stay put and take the best guy on his board. Moving down would rob the Bears of taking one of the top defensive linemen in this class, Jalen Carter or Will Anderson. Many experts believe those two are in a tier by themselves in terms of ability. Poles would have to believe he can still value equal or greater value to one of those two by moving down. That isn’t a guarantee.

That said, Dimitroff’s approach wasn’t always correct. For example, he stayed put at #19 in 2010 and took linebacker Sean Witherspoon. Over the following eight picks, four Pro Bowl players ended up going to other teams. Dimitroff could’ve moved down a few spots, gathered some extra picks, and possibly landed one of them. That is why the draft is a crapshoot. Great players fall outside of the top five or ten all the time. It comes down to whether the Chicago Bears are accurate in their talent evaluations. If they are, they should be able to land a good player even after moving down.

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16 COMMENTS

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Gator Joe
Feb 10, 2023 6:48 am

What I can’t wait for is when, after the draft, all of the experts on here say the Bears should have traded down in situations where they didn’t. Please remember that we will never know what offers were presented. Without a solid offer you simply cannot trade down. Teams don’t always get the offers they hope to get. That’s why you have to be prepared to take a player at any given spot. The clock is running and unless a trade offer makes total sense you pull the trigger on the highest guy on your board at that moment.

fluvium
fluvium
Feb 9, 2023 7:17 am

GM Ryan Poles is the first man since George Halas to hold the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft? Really? Get someone to proofread this stuff man.

NeverTooManyEggs
NeverTooManyEggs
Feb 9, 2023 3:26 am

Oh so serious.

MichaelBodam
MichaelBodam
Feb 8, 2023 8:59 pm

I’m surprised most Bears fans haven’t caught up to the fact that the front office likely isn’t gauging a trade down being “worth it” based solely on if they’d still be able to land Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter. First off, there’s a good chance the Bears aren’t considering Will Anderson based off his size alone and that if they are, they’re likely doing so as a linebacker/third-down rusher (Micah Parsons kind of role). Believe me, I know that sounds kind of crazy — I’m a *huge* fan of Will Anderson. As for Carter, I’m sure they love him… Read more »

NeverTooManyEggs
NeverTooManyEggs
Feb 8, 2023 3:29 pm

I lost a slice of cheese like a month ago. Today I found it inside an envelope which was in a pair of jeans that I was using as a lawn mower. Oh man, I gotta start eating Ewok nuggets again. For me, they are the only way to sustain a squid like lifestyle without having to compromise when it comes to wood grain. Oh yeah, tell ‘em hi and stuff… I gotta go munch me snack packs with Jeremy, my lizard.

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