Ryan Poles May Have Broken His Own Draft Rule to Get Logan Jones to the Bears

New Bears draft footage suggests Ryan Poles had Logan Jones targeted all along, a rare sign Chicago may have bent its usual draft strategy for him.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Chicago Bears general manager is a dedicated adherent to the "best player available" draft strategy, even going so far as to double-down on this strategy ahead of the 2026 NFL draft. Once he's on the clock, Poles will pick the top guy remaining on his draft board, regardless of his position or what the Bears' roster may need. However, it seems that Poles finally broke with this draft strategy in 2026 when he selected center Logan Jones with the No. 57 pick.

Chicago Bears center Logan Jones talks during Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Ryan Poles circled Logan Jones as a must-have

On Tuesday night, the Bears released the latest episode of their YouTube series 1920 Football Drive, giving the fans an inside look at their draft process last month. When Round 2 began, Ryan Poles is seen telling the room, "So we'll go Jones at 57, and we'll fight like hell to get out of 60 and try to get what we can."

Furthermore, in an interview after the draft, Poles talks about the Logan Jones pick and is seen saying, "Day 2 is always interesting. The board starts to shift a little bit, and some of the top guys that you're hoping for are usually going to go at the top of [Round] 2. But there's a couple names, Logan being one of them, so we were really fortunate for him to be there for us in the second round. And then really from there it was best available."

It's that last phrase that makes the Jones pick so much more intriguing than it already was. I'm not sure if Ryan Poles had a Sonny Weaver Jr. moment and wrote Logan Jones' name on a piece of paper the morning of the draft, or maybe Jones was at the top of the Bears' board anyway by the time they were on the clock with the 57th pick, but it sounds like Poles is saying that it was going to be Jones no matter what, and then they would get back to their usual strategy of the best player available.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bears' scouts were blown away by Logan Jones at Iowa's pro day

Earlier in this episode of 1920 Football Drive, other members of the Bears' front office explained what they saw from Jones that made him such a high priority. Assistant director of college scouting Francis Saint Paul represented the Bears at Iowa's pro day, and he said, "I was there [at Iowa's pro day]... he really showed speed and explosion coming off the football. You felt the power of him hitting the bags. And the best part of that was him interacting with his teammates. You could tell he was a leader. You saw the center in him by how everyone was reacting during the drills."

Indeed, Jones was viewed by many as the linchpin of Iowa's dominant offensive line in 2025. As a unit, they won the Joe Moore award as the best offensive line in the country, but it was Jones who was awarded the Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football. As aforementioned, Jones may very well have been the best player available by the time they were ready to make their second-round pick, marking the perfect marriage of roster need and draft value. But Poles' comment makes it seem like he had the Iowa center penciled in for the No. 57 pick before the draft even started.

Chicago Bears center Logan Jones talks during Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Logan Jones could be the Bears' most impactful rookie in 2026

Though it was a somewhat polarizing pick among NFL draft analysts, I graded the Bears' second-round pick of Logan Jones as an easy 'A'. Drew Dalman retiring from the NFL after just one year with the Bears, a Pro Bowl year, left a gaping hole in the middle of the Bears' offensive line, and trading for Garrett Bradbury to replace Dalman wasn't going to cut it. It was a prudent trade that didn't cost much, but Bradbury is a depth player, at best.

Jones, on the other hand, has perennial Pro Bowl potential. He may need a short window to adjust to NFL speed and strength, but he has a clear path to be the starting center in Week 1. This makes him a likely candidate to be the Bears' most impactful rookie in 2026. Dillon Thieneman, the Bears' first-round selection, may rack up some gaudy stats and highlight plays, but Jones would have a massive responsibility on his shoulders as the starting center, and his level of play would have an outsized impact on the Bears' success in 2026.

But I believe he's ready. Jones started in 51 games for Iowa, going against some of the best defenses in the country, and he excelled. If any rookie is prepared to handle the transition to the NFL, it's Jones.

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