Who Might Ryan Poles Have Had His Eye On At Oklahoma's Pro Day?

Ryan Poles had a BUSY Thursday. He attended the University of Oklahoma Pro Day in the morning before his media session in the afternoon.

#Bears GM Ryan Poles is at the Oklahoma pro day this morning. He is scheduled to meet media at Halas Hall later to discuss free agency.

The team has other key decision makers there to see the Sooners, including assistant GM Jeff King & director of player personnel Trey Koziol.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 12, 2026

In my opinion, you can't glean much insight from a general manager opting not to attend a Pro Day. I know some were surprised that Ryan Poles didn't show up at Clemson's Pro Day, since Peter Woods was working out there after not participating in the combine, but I don't really put much stock into that. Call it a hunch, but I still think he'll be near the top of their board (I very much hope that's the case, at least).

However, I do think there's some significance to the Pro Day workouts that GMs do decide to attend. It usually indicates that they have their eyes on at least one player at the school. There's reason to believe that was especially the case for Ryan Poles at Oklahoma. It would've been understandable if he didn't catch that one based on the fact that he had an afternoon media session. He probably left for the flight as soon as the workout was over.

Which players could he potentially have been there to see?

DT Gracen Halton

If I were a betting man, I'd be willing to throw some Benjamins on Halton being at least partially responsible for the Bears being in attendance. I think he has everything they'd be looking for out of an interior rusher. Almost all of his numbers were near the top of the defensive tackle group at the combine. He would make a lot of sense for Chicago if they want to wait until the third round to address their weakness at defensive tackle.

EDGE R Mason Thomas

R Mason Thomas doesn't exactly fit the profile that Dennis Allen covets from his defensive ends (he's one of the smallest edge rushers in the class at 6'2" and 241 lbs.), but he's been highly productive over the past two years and is one of the most potent rushers in the class. It wouldn't shock me if they saw something they could work with, and he would make sense (assuming they look past the size) if they want to grab an edge rusher with one of their second-round picks.

G/C Febechi Nwaiwu

Nwaiwu honestly wasn't really on my radar, but Bears reporter Brad Biggs highlighted him as someone that could interest Chicago (and when Biggs says something, it usually has weight behind it). If they view him as a guard, then I'm confident they'd pass (they re-signed Jordan McFadden yesterday), but the center position is one I think they'll definitely be looking at. Garrett Bradbury is entering the final year of his deal, and I imagine they don't see him as anything more than a stop-gap option.

Top OU prospects are probably WR Deion Burks & edge R Mason Thomas, who might be a little small for #Bears defense.

Interesting prospect is OL Febechi Nwaiwu. Primarily played guard for Sooners but some consider him a center prospect and he started 2 games last fall at C for OU.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 12, 2026

WR Deion Burks

Receiver isn't the Bears' biggest need at this point (it's not even close to it, in fact). However, Deion Burks fits the profile of someone they could be looking to add to the offense. He's got speed for days, evidenced by his 4.3-second 40-yard dash time. That wasn't the only drill he excelled in, either, as he was one of the top performers at the combine among all position groups. I know they just added Kalif Raymond, but I wouldn't be shocked if Ben Johnson is enamored enough to grab Burks if he's on the board in the third.

S Robert Spears-Jennings

The wild card of the bunch. Spears-Jennings might not be a big name, but he's got a rare combination of size (6-2) and speed (his 4.32-second 40-yard dash at the combine ranked second among safeties). His struggles in coverage will probably keep him out of a starting lineup, but his rare traits could allow him to thrive on special teams. I wouldn't be surprised if he were a late-round target for the Bears.