Bear Digest

Ryan Poles sees first round shaping up as wild ride for Bears

Chicago GM and assistant GM Ian Cunningham see possibility of trades both ways and other teams making moves in what has been a quiet predraft so far.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ryan Poles addresses the media at Halas Hall about the draft, without giving away any secrets.
Ryan Poles addresses the media at Halas Hall about the draft, without giving away any secrets. | Photo: Chicago Bears video

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Be ready for anything is the advice of Bears GM Ryan Poles and assistant GM Ian Cunningham regarding this year's draft.

There have been no trades of first-round picks and this never happens, so to Poles, Cunningham and coach Ben Johnson, it's the quiet before the storm.

"I feel really confident with where we're at," Poles said Tuesday in his annual predraft talk. "I think this one’s going to be a little wild but we’re going to be prepared for all the different scenarios that pop up.

"The time working with Ben throughout this has been great, some really good communication, some great discussions as we set the board and get prepared for the draft."

About the only thing Poles would get specific about was the team wants a contract extension for guard Joe Thuney, labeling it a "priority." Beyond that, it's anyone's guess where this first round of the draft will go.

Wild? How wild?

"It could get wild," Cunningham warned. "Sit back and watch. We have no feel right now. We'll see."

The key to where any player goes is something talked about every year—where the quarterbacks land. It looks like only one will go in the top 10 but last year it didn't look immediately like six would go in the first 12 and they did.

"You'd like as many quarterbacks to go in front of us as possible, just because that's not a position we're definitely, we're not gonna take a quarterback this year," Cunningham said.

The main reason they think about anything can happen in Round 1 or even Round 2 is the talent disbursal. It's uneven.

"I think it's deeper in certain areas than others," Poles said of the talent. "Usually the cutoff is a little bit quicker, I think, once you get into 2, 3. And this one is going to be a little bit different. So I think there is going to be a lot more movement (trading) than there has been in the past."

Asked if it could be difficult trading back from the 10 spot, Poles had to be honest.

"Potentially," he said. "There are a lot of phone calls going on right now. So it's hard to tell. Today. But I think as we get closer, it will start to show itself."

In summarizing the draft talent pool overall, Poles still seems convinced it's good enough to come away with four eventual starters from the four picks that the Bears have in the first 72.

"This is a large pool of very good football players," Poles said. "And then I think you can do some different things to get more players who are going to be able to come in and help your team more quickly."

Cunningham said there are limits to the talent, though.

"The amount of top-tiered talent, while it's good, the volume isn't necessarily there," Cunningham said. "I feel like there's a few clumps of groups of players that are really good but they're similar in terms of value. I feel like there's good depth in certain positions."

The one position everyone seems preoccupied with is running back, and Ashton Jeanty in particular. Cunningham didn't address Jeanty in particular but did talk about the importance of running backs in the draft.

"I think the value is if he's a playmaker and a really good player, you take the really good player," Cunningham said. "That's the beauty of our process, our philosophy is best player available.

"Yeah, we weigh premium position vs. non-premium position, but at the end of the day, it's a playmaker. If we see him in that role, I think you can go take a playmaker that's not a premium position."

It's been called one of the best running back classes in recent years. Scarcity at a position does impact what the Bears do at No. 10, apparently.

"It plays a lot into it just in terms of trying to anticipate where some of the drop-off's gonna be, depending upon what positions we may have higher vs. other positions, or at the same position," Cunningham said. "Maybe there's a larger drop-off. It just depends where we're at at 10 or 39 or 41 (in Round 2)."

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

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.

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