Here’s what Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles said ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

LAKE FOREST – Bears general manager Ryan Poles and assistant general manager Ian Cunningham met with reporters at Halas Hall on Tuesday two days before the start of the NFL draft.

There’s plenty of intrigue into how the Bears will use their draft capital this year. The team enters Thursday with seven draft picks, including four selections in the top 72. The Bears hold the No. 10 overall pick, No. 39, No. 41 and No. 72 in the first three rounds.

[ NFL mock draft: Chicago Bears stick to trenches at No. 10 overall ]

Here are four of the most interesting things Poles and Cunningham said ahead of the draft.

On Bears’ approach heading into draft

As of Tuesday afternoon, every team still had its original draft pick in the first round. Poles said that could change quickly in the next couple of days leading up to the draft and once it starts Thursday.

“I feel really confident with where we’re at,” Poles said. “I think this one’s going to be a little wild, but we’re going to be prepared for all the different scenarios that could pop up.”

Both Poles and Cunningham said this year’s draft is a little bit deeper in certain positions compared to others. There are “clumps” of players similarly graded to each other. Poles said the cutoff in talent comes a little bit quicker in most drafts, which could lead to plenty of trades throughout the draft.

Whether the Bears will be one of those teams who make a trade remains to be seen. Some analysts believe that this draft’s depth could make it harder for teams to trade out of the top-10. Poles said that could potentially be true but said it was hard to tell Tuesday since there were a lot of phone calls taking place between teams.

Who the Bears will take also remains a question. Poles could continue to address the offensive and defensive lines like he did earlier in the offseason. Or he could draft an offensive playmaker for new head coach Ben Johnson.

Regardless where they draft, the Bears plan on sticking to their philosophy.

“Our philosophy is best-player available,” Cunningham said. “Yeah we weigh premium position versus non-premium position, but at the end of the day, it’s a playmaker. If you see him in that role, I think you can take a playmaker not in a premium position.”

On Johnson’s role in draft preparation

It became clear once the Bears hired Johnson as their new head coach that he would have a role in the team’s personnel decisions. That included the team’s approach in the draft.

Poles told reporters that his staff and Johnson’s coaching staff have had good discussions making sure the scouting team knew what the coaches looked for at each position.

“I think it’s important to understand in terms of the scheme and how we’re building,” Poles said. “I think it’s gonna take time for figuring out what we’re going to be good at. But what we certainly want to have is to create an advantage for our team and get off to a fast start.”

The Bears were in a little bit of a different situation in regards to draft preparation with a new coaching staff. Scouts had already started their draft process last fall with former head coach Matt Eberflus’ staff, trying to tailor to their needs.

Despite the coaching change, Cunningham said there’s been a lot of overlap in player evaluation. Both defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and their coaches met with the team’s scouting department to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

“That communication up front is super important,” Cunningham said. “It paints a picture for us so that we can go out and get the perfect players for them.”

On the left tackle position

One of the major questions heading into Thursday’s draft is whether Poles will continue his revamp of the offensive line.

Poles started reworking the line earlier this offseason when he traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed center Drew Dalman. Now Poles could continue with the tackle spots.

LSU’s Will Campbell, Missouri’s Armand Membou and Texas Kelvin Banks Jr. are all potential options at No. 10. Both Campbell and Banks primarily played at left tackle while Membou mostly played right.

Darnell Wright has been the team’s starting right tackle since the team drafted him in the first round of the 2023 draft. But Poles was open to having the conversation of moving Wright to left tackle if the Bears drafted someone who mostly played right tackle. Wright had split time at left and right tackle in college at Tennessee.

“We’ll see how everything goes,” Poles said. “He clearly has the ability to play left or right, you saw that in college. That was part of the value.”

The conversation could come after questions surrounding the left tackle spot continued last season. Starter Braxton Jones had ankle surgery toward the end of last season and could be limited at the start of training camp. Last year’s third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie missed most of last year but could compete for the spot with a healthy offseason.

Cunningham remained encouraged by each players’ potential and was glad to have them on the team.

“We have high hopes for both of those players,” Cunningham said.

On undrafted free agents

While many fans focus on the players who are drafted, Poles believes teams can find gems in players who weren’t drafted.

TJ Edwards, whom the Bears honored with the Brian Piccolo Award for a second straight season Tuesday, is a good example of that. Edwards, a Lakes alumnus, went undrafted in 2019 before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Since then, Edwards has become a dependable player in the league, earning a two-year extension with the Bears last week.

“I feel really confident with where we’re at. I think this one’s going to be a little wild, but we’re going to be prepared for all the different scenarios that could pop up.”

—  Ryan Poles, Chicago Bears general manager

Poles believes there’s value to be found in undrafted free agents, especially since more players stay in college longer because of extra eligibility and Name, Image and Likeness deals.

“I think you’re going to see a lot more guys like that, guys that have been developed, stayed an extra year,” Poles said. “I think there’s going to be a high volume of those players. We challenge our group to take that very seriously.”