What Does the Bears' Best Player Available Philosophy Mean For Their Draft Plans?

Chicago Bears' general manager Ryan Poles says the team's draft formula won't be changing anytime soon. They'll go with the best player on the board, as he views that philosophy as an important part of team building.

Ryan Poles says his philosophy will stay the same even when picking at 25. “Best player available”. #Bears
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) February 24, 2026

"Philosophically, I feel the same, it's going to be best player available," Poles said. "On my board, I have yellow tags where we need to fill in, but at the same time, I do believe in the early rounds, you really do have to stick to the best player available."

Could that be nothing more than coach (or in this case, GM) speak? Sure. Nobody wants to reveal the blueprint for how they envision the first round will unfold two months before the draft. That's especially the case with the Bears picking much later in the first round than they're used to.

However, there's reason to believe that the Bears value the approach a bit more than other front offices. Their first two selections of the Ben Johnson era, Colston Loveland at 10th overall and Luther Burden III at pick 39, were added to rooms that already featured a few quality starters. It was clear that Chicago's coaching staff was looking to improve everywhere.

With one season in the books, it's pretty clear that they knew what they were doing in that regard. Their scouting staff has proven to have a keen eye for talent on the offensive side of the ball (at least with offensive mastermind Ben Johnson calling the shots), as Loveland and Burden both proved to be great picks at 10 and 39. They became key contributors down the stretch.

In the end, I think the BPA formula is always the way to go. However, it's important to mention that each team's board is unique to them. As Poles mentioned, they know where they need to add players. Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq might be the best player on the consensus board when the Bears are on the clock, but he won't be the best player on the Bears' board. It's also safe to assume they won't be adding to the receiver room with the first pick, regardless of who is on the board.

Everyone knows Chicago desperately needs to address the safety position, as all five of the safeties on their roster from last season are pending free agents. They also have a glaring weakness along the interior of the defensive line. It's safe to say those two positions have yellow tags on the Bears' big board right now.

With that said, they might view cornerback as a position they could potentially improve, and could fall in love with a player there in the first round. They could view the linebacker position in a similar light. Maybe there's a left tackle prospect they have their eye on and think he can be the starter there for the next decade.

Notably, Poles also said that this year's edge rusher class is especially loaded. That could mean he likes their chances of adding an impact player there on day two (or potentially even day three), or it could mean that an edge rusher might be at the top of their board when they're on the clock at pick 25.

The only thing that we know about the Bears' draft board is that we know nothing. If the 2025 NFL Draft is any indication, fans should be ready to expect the unexpected.

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