Rating First Drafts by Bears GMs

When Bears GM Ryan Poles makes his initial first-round draft pick since joining the team, it won't be too difficult to surpass the success achieved with similar first picks by any of the more recent Bears GMs.

In fact, Poles' real first pick as GM was a second-rounder, cornerback Kyler Gordon, and after a spotty start the former Washington defensive back already looks better than most of the initial actual first-round picks other GMs had.

Former GM Ryan Pace made wide receiver Kevin White his first pick. White was a total bust, as after initial injuries he had plenty of time to develop but never did here or elsewhere. He has 30 NFL games and 28 receptions.

GM Phil Emery plucked defensive end/linebacker Shea McClellin right off Chicken Dinner Road in Idaho. McClellin played 52 Bears games with 7 1/2 Chicago sacks for a five-year NFL career. He broke no records but his biggest accomplishment might have been breaking Aaron Rodgers' collarbone. He's the only Bears player to stop Rodgers, with the possible exception of Eddie Jackson in the end zone to clinch the 2018 division title.

And GM Jerry Angelo took tackle Marc Colombo, who had a solid NFL career as a right tackle starter but not with the Bears because he immediately tore his ACL and played only 19 games here.

Then there was the late Mark Hatley, who wasn't GM but was allowed free rein over the draft as personnel director. And with his first pick he took possibly the worst initial Bears first-round pick of all time, running back Curtis Enis. Then he followed with maybe an even worse overall first-round Bears pick the next year in 1999 with quarterback Cade McNown. By 2000, Hatley was warmed up and with his first pick he chose the last Bears Hall of Famer ever drafted in Chicago, Brian Urlacher.

Hatley actually might have had the best first draft of all the decision makers because he brought in legendary center Olin Kreutz with his first draft class.

These first picks weren't quite up to the first Bears pick ever made by the franchise's last general manager in charge of drafts before Angelo. That would be Jim Finks, and he took Walter Payton.

But Poles' first draft class definitely doesn't look bad compared with some of those by his predecessors and he didn't even have the benefit of a first-round pick. The jury is still out on many Bears who Poles took and will be for a while, but it's already trending favorable.

Here's how they did with their first classes, and whether they could count each pick as a win or loss on the ledger. All of Poles' picks are yet to be determined except for Jones. Anyone who gets a season out of a rookie fifth-round pick at left tackle like the Bears had from Jones has to get a win.

Ryan Poles

2022

2nd Round: CB Kyler Gordon, 14 games, 3 interceptions (n/a)

2nd Round: S Jaquan Brisker, 15 games, PFF All-Rookie (n/a)

3rd Round: WR Velus Jones Jr., 12 games, 7 receptions (n/a)

5th Round: T Braxton Jones, 17 starts, PFF All-Rookie (Win)

5th Round: DE Dominique Robinson, 17 games, 1 1/2 sacks (n/a)

6th Round: Zach Thomas taken by Rams off practice squad (Loss)

6th Round: RB Trestan Ebnber, 17 games, 24 runs, 54 yards (n/a)

6th Round: C Doug Kramer, IR all year (Incomplete)

7th Round: G Ja'Tyre Carter, 3 games (n/a)

7th Round: S Elijah Hicks, 15 games, 2 TD passes allowed (n/a)

7th Round: P Trenton Gill, 46.0-yard average (n/a)

Ryan Pace

2015

1st Round: WR Kevin White, 30 NFL games 28 catches (Loss)

2nd Round: Eddie Goldman, 73 Bears starts, 6 seasons (Win)

3rd Round: C Hroniss Grasu, 31 NFL games, 14 for Bear (Loss)

4th Round: RB Jeremy Langford, 28 Bears games, 737 yards, 10 TDs (Loss)

5th Round: S Adrian Amos, 8 NFL seasons, 56 Bears starts, 66 Packers starts (Win*)

6th Round: T Tayo Fabuluje, 4 Bears and total NFL games (Loss)

Phil Emery

2012

1st Round: DE Shea McClellin, 52 Bears games, 7 1/2 sacks, 5 NFL season (Loss)

2nd Round: WR Alshon Jeffery, 5 Bears and 9 NFL seasons 304 catches, 4,549 yards, 26 TDs (Win*)

3rd Round: S Brandon Hardin, never appeared in an NFL game (Loss)

4th Round: TE Evan Rodriguez, 20 NFL games, 4 Bears catches, 21 yards (Loss)

6th Round: CB Isaiah Frey, 27 NFL games, 19 Bears, 58 tackles (Loss)

7th Round: DB Greg McCoy, never appeared in a game (Loss)

Jerry Angelo

2002

1st Round: T Marc Colombo, tore ACL, played 19 Bears games, 76 Cowboys starts (Win*)

3rd Round: CB Roosevelt Williams, 20 Bears games (Loss)

3rd Round: G Terrence Metcalf, 84 Bears games, one season as starter (Win)

4th Round: DE Alex Brown, 143 games, 127 in Chicago, 43 1/2 Bears sacks (Win)

5th Round: DB Bobby Gray, 29 games, 3 Bears seasons (Loss)

5th Round: LB Bryan Knight, 31 Bears games, 2 seasons (Loss)

6th Round: RB Adrian Peterson, 8 Bears seasons, 1,283 rushing yards (Win)

6th Round: WR Jamin Elliott, 3 NFL games (Loss)

6th Round: TE Bryan Fletcher, no Bears games, played 46 for Colts (Loss)

Mark Hatley**

1998

1st Round: RB Curtis Enis, 36 NFL games 1,497 yards 2 TDs (Loss)

2nd Round: S Tony Parrish, 4 Bears seasons, 64 Bears starts, 131 NFL games (Win*)

3rd Round: C Olin Kreutz, 2-time All Pro, 6-time Pro Bowl, 13 Bears seasons, 14 NFL. (Win)

4th Round: TE Alonzo Mayes, 37 games, 3 seasons, 33 catches 339 yards (Loss)

6th Round: LB Chris Draft, 1 Bears game, 12 NFL seasons, 150 games, 89 starts (Win*)

6th Round: LS Patrick Mannelly, 245 Bears games, 16 seasons (Win)

7th Round: T Chad Overhauser, 3 games (Loss)

7th Round: QB Moses Moreno, 9 games, 51 of 103, 485 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT (Loss)

*Win-Successful pick but only because he played well for another team.

**Ran draft but didn't have title of GM or hiring/firing power over coach.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven