The Chicago Bears are almost finished with their preparations for the 2023 draft. GM Ryan Poles has spent months preparing for this moment. Thanks to a series of maneuvers, he has ten picks in this draft, including four in the first three rounds. It’s a big opportunity to infuse the roster with much-needed young talent. What nobody knows is who the Bears may have their eyes on for those early picks. Reports have surfaced about several private visits with top names. Many of them seem like obvious fits.
However, one knowledgeable person cautions against that idea. Former Bears scout Greg Gabriel offered a warning in his latest column for Windy City Gridiron. There is a distinct possibility that every name you’ve heard mentioned with the Bears may be nothing more than a clever ruse designed to throw other teams off as to who Poles really wants to take.
He offered some proof.
“So far this year, we have seen perhaps 15 to 16 names attached to the Bears as visitors to Halas Hall. I went back to see who they brought in last year, and I could only find about 14 names that were made public, but none of those 14 were drafted by the Bears last year. It remains to be seen if any of the players they have already brought in or are about to be brought in this year will be selected by the Bears in 17 days.
Remember, just because the Bears bring in certain players, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have an interest in drafting that player. It could be just for show and is a smokescreen.”
It’s true. During the entire lead-up to the 2022 draft, neither Kyler Gordon nor Jaquan Brisker was ever mentioned in connection to the Bears. It’s possible Poles is executing a similar game plan.
So who might the Chicago Bears actually be targeting?
If we operate on this thinking, a few notable players haven’t been tied to the Bears in any sort of report since the pre-draft process began. One is Lukas Van Ness, the hulking defensive end out of Iowa. Another is freakish Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy, Wisconsin center Joe Tippmann, Georgia Tech defensive lineman Keion White, and Syracuse offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron are also curiously absent from all visits trackers.
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All of those names would be good scheme fits for the Chicago Bears. That makes one wonder if Gabriel is correct. Perhaps Poles is trying to steer other teams away from one of them, and also why the Bears GM aims to trade down. All of them are likely to be available later in the 1st round or early in the 2nd round. It’s a lot of speculation, but interesting nonetheless. As open as Poles can be about how things function under his watch, he’s proven several times that he’s not above a bit of deception.
