Anybody who has followed the draft for long enough knows that it’s almost like a living entity. It is never going to fully cooperate with your expectations. Smart NFL general managers always put together contingency plans for how a board could unfold. That means having a fallback option in what would be deemed the “worst-case scenario.” That is the say, all of the top players you’d hoped for are gone and you aren’t getting any bites for a possible trade down. A team must pinpoint a player they are comfortable taking who can at least become a reliable starter. Ryan Poles is no stranger to this process with the Chicago Bears.
He sits in a precarious position. Most experts agree that the 2025 draft is light on blue-chip talent. There are few prospects considered clean, or with few flaws. There is a realistic possibility that all of them will be gone within the first nine picks, especially if only one quarterback goes in that range. What will Poles do if that happens? Albert Breer of the MMQB, who has strong Chicago connections, mentioned a specific name to watch. It definitely has gained some traction in recent days.
But if Mason Graham and Ashton Jeanty are gone, I’m not sure there’s a guy at either of those spots worthy of going at 10. So, that leads you back to … the offensive line.
Yes, the Bears dealt for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed center Drew Dalman. But left tackle Braxton Jones, a nice find for the Bears in the fifth round in 2022, is heading into a contract year and has a new set of coaches evaluating him. If he’s not seen as the answer, tackle would be in play. That’s why I think 10 is the floor for LSU’s Will Campbell, and could be a landing spot for Texas’s Kelvin Banks Jr.
Banks is the type of player Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson would like.
He’s not perfect, but the Texas left tackle has certain qualities that fit their preferences. He’s big, strong, and athletic. The strength of his game is centered around run-blocking, which suits Johnson’s offensive style. The issue many have with him is his arm length (33.5 inches) and tendency to lean too much, resulting in balance concerns. It is why some see him as a guard rather than a tackle. He has the experience and the tools to play left tackle in the NFL, but his ceiling is debatable.
Banks is far from the worst emergency option at #10 if the Bears are content with the risk. The Bears need a long-term solution at left tackle. Braxton Jones is entering the final year of his contract and dealing with a broken ankle. Kiran Amegadjie is still growing. Ryan Poles could ease those fears by taking Banks, further solidifying the complete rebuild of the offensive line.
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@TGena Yes. Analysis is skewed by the performance/production of the quarterback picks (as well as production of every other player on the team in those years). But it also highlights that almost 80% of all teams had better coaches than Chicago. Does anyone rank position or side-of-ball coaches for both development AND scheme? I know that every coach and coordinator voice their “theory for success,” but how many have implemented them, besides lucking into some magical player bailing them out by playing above his pay grade/draft level? The Bears deserve their grade. But they got top pick of the year… Read more »
What is more important? High upside, or “reached” ceiling? Is a small school prospect, more desirable than a small (or Power) school experienced player.
Depends on how receptive they are to coaching, whether the coordinators can imagine schemes that can utilize them.
Zack Baun is an example. Playing in the Big 10, but only having a single full season and then injured and released, but around a Dennis Allen Saints team before going to a Vic Fangio coached Eagles team.
If he had come to an Eberflus team . . .
Don’t worry Gena, Williams has one more year after this one before he gets traded for a sixth round pick.
@Dr. Melhus — Your uber-favorable view of GM Ryan Poles’ history with the Bears reveals a tendency to ignore the reality offered by hard numbers; historical facts, and the continuing real-life NFL saga. One of your favorite fallbacks is the “Bryce Young Haul” — the 2023 trade. But, as I have pointed out previously, limiting the review to Bryce Young’s rookie campaign — limiting the review to Bryce Young, at all — distorts the reality of what should actually be a multi-year, multi-team examination of the Ryan Poles experience. When GM Poles traded the overall first selection in the 2023… Read more »
@Krisanthony — Your observation that Ryan Poles “deserves a lot of credit for being open” to the “only thing” (my words) standing between his remaining as the Bears GM, and packing his “darts and putt-putt” paraphernalia — is charitable, to say the least. I think it was more a matter of self-preservstion. But, it really won’t matter, which of us is correct — provided the 2025 Bears begin off (and end up) winning football games. Hopefully, Ryan Poles will grow into the role of NFL GM (Can you think of any GM that has actually pulled that off — after… Read more »