Bear Digest

Grading Ryan Poles' 2024 Chicago Bears Draft

How the Bears general manager graded out for his efforts in his third draft, for various key categories as well as overall.

Gene Chamberlain

Ryan Poles' success in this draft was difficult to debate because of its top-heavy nature with the top QB and third receiver chosen.
Ryan Poles' success in this draft was difficult to debate because of its top-heavy nature with the top QB and third receiver chosen. / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The draft is about adding talent but for the general manager it's also his time to display his craft.

GMs don't make their names on free agency. If they do, they won't be GMs for long.

Bears GM Ryan Poles announced his plan the very first day he took over the job.

"What am I about and what's my philosophy? We're gonna build through the draft," he said. "We're gonna acquire young, fast and physical football players. We're gonna be selective through free agency."

Poles made bold attempts at this through a unique Bears draft Thursday through Saturday,

The top of the draft alone was enough to make for a successful draft, with QB Caleb Williams and receiver Rome Odunze at one and nine.

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“If you told me we’d end up with both Caleb and Rome weeks ago, I would’ve said you were crazy," Poles said.

Here's how Polees graded out for the process.

Individual Talent: A+

  • Round 1, No. 1, QB Caleb Williams, A+: Consensus No. 1 QB and a skill set for big plays like few other drafted QBs.
  • Round 1, No. 9, WR Rome Odunze, A+: He has both sub 4.5-speed in the 40 and leaping ability. He has a 75-25 ratio on 50-50 balls.
  • Round 3, No. 75, T Kiran Amegadjie, C: A tackle with impressive physical skils but one who played a lower level of ball at Yale and was drafted when they needed defensive line help.
  • Round 4, No. 122, P Tory Taylor, A-: It's not often teams can get a punter capable of maneuvering the ball like he can and with his leg. The only drawback, again was how they sitll needed an edge rusher.
  • Round 5, No. 144, DE Austin Booker, B+: This late in a draft at edge rusher you're either looking for something everyone else overlooked or a project type. At 21, he is the project but his one good season showed he has the knack to influence passers with 38 pressures.

Bottom line: The best quarterback in Caleb Williams, the third receiver taken in Rome Odunze, the best punter, a local tackle who is a freak with the second-longest arms of all offensive linemen measured at this year's combine and an edge rusher who is so young they talk about him growing into his body. It was a very unique draft class to say the least. The best quarterback available, one conidered the best prospect since Andrew Luck by many personnel people, is normally enough to make any draft class a complete success.

The Board: A

No matter how the public or other teams perceive it, a GM must stand by his draft board or what good is his personnel department? They set a grade on a player and are resolute defending it. Poles was this to a fault in this draft. There's no other possible way to explain how they approached their inability to draft an edge rusher in Round 3 and take tackle Kiran Amegadjie. Even if he has the talent to be there, it's difficult to believe they couldn't have had an edge rusher or defensive tackle at least comparable in grade within range to take in order to satisfy a need.

Numbers: B-

With only four picks to start, they faced a difficult climb to get out of this draft with a measurable draft class, but did manage to add an extra pick. It wasn't as important to have numbers this year as in some years because two of the players were in the top 10. A top-heavy draft carries more impact, especially at skill positions.

Need: B-

The failure to find a defensive tackle at all or to draft an edge rusher until Round 5 isn't easy to overlook. Taking an extra tackle in Round 3 was not ideal. The explanation their draft board didn't have an edge worth taking then is admirable because it shows their confidence in their process but doesn't solve a problem on game day when Montez Sweat is being double-teamed. No one worried about need when the first two picks were so dynamic. They helped make for an explosive attack and both were actual needs, anyway. However, they failed to keep their defense intact since last year, when all the momentum built. They lost starter Justin Jones at tackle and never signed Yannick Ngakoue on the edge. Against both the run and the pass, there must be concern. Without Jones, the run defense could struggle and it was on the back of their run defense where they built the pass defense that made a league-high 22 interceptions last year. Edge rush depth is a real issue, plus the right side of the defensive line doesn't have pass rush presence like the left side with Sweat. However, Poles did eventually get to Austin Booker with the extra pick and helped right side depth. If Booker can do something as a rookie to contribute situationally, he can help make up for the lack of drafting for need.

Creativity: A+

The trade back into the draft normally is a dangerous maneuver because you're most often going to give up a higher pick next year than the one you're trading to make. This was the case. The Bears did this sort of thing in the past and former GM Ryan Pace was criticized for it. He traded a fourth-rounder for a fifth-rounder when he drafted Trevis Gipson. The same type of trade happened, but the twist was the Bears got the edge rusher they were familiar with in Austin Booker. They had a top-30 visit with him and consider him an edge capable of developing from Day 1. They haven't had success trying Dominique Robinson in this role. To a degree, Poles found a way to have his cake and eat it too, by sticking with his draft board and then also getting the edge rusher. It was pure irony that he managed to do it with the Bills at pick No. 144, which was a pick they had traded away early in this year's draft process. It's just a very unconventional way of doing it. Also, when a team takes a punter in Round 4 there is no other way to put it than to say they're being creative with their draft, and he's an Aussie besides.

Overall: A-

Their only drawback being a lack of top-level defensive line help, and you understood this would happen regardless once they made quarterback and receiver their first-round picks. They'll simply need to do more of what other teams do and win games 31-27 instead of 17-13.

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Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.