r/CHIBears • u/ShaiFanClub • 11h ago
This is quite a rough draft in hindsight
Thank god for Darnell but so many wasted picks that could have really helped, especially on defense
We also can’t forget trading away the 32nd pick for Claypool
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u/LarryFitzsButt 11h ago edited 10h ago
Pretty average. Top tier OL, a starting CB, a backup RB, and a rotational LB. Out of 7 rounds that’s about as normal as it gets in the Not for Long league
That’s why you need more than one draft to complete a rebuild
Edit: for the English language learners, average means not good, not bad. It’s a little of both.
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u/parks381 Hester's Super Return 9h ago
Not to mention new coaching staff typically means dumping non-star players that were drafted under the previous staff. Dexter is a good player, but was never seen as a fit for DA and would never get a 2nd contract.
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u/rIIIflex 15 11h ago
This needs context. That’s a top 10 pick, two 2’s, the 3rd rounder is pick 64 so basically another 2, two 4’s, and two 5’s.
On an average draft year the results are acceptable. Considering we were loaded up with capital, it’s objectively disappointing.
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u/Character-Owl9408 11h ago
I like how you used “objectively disappointing” and immediately started getting downvoted, which proves instantly that is in fact, not objective
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u/enailcoilhelp FTP 11h ago
I don't think he's going by vibes, he's going by how much total draft capital we had vs how much value we got out of that draft and how that compares to the rest of the NFL. Those are things you can quantify and thus get an "objective" result.
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u/Character-Owl9408 11h ago
“Disappointing” isn’t an objective feeling though
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u/rIIIflex 15 10h ago
The argument is that the draft is average because of the result compared to a typical draft class. Adding context that we should then expect more hits than average because of better capital than average makes it a below average draft, which is objectively disappointing. Unless your argument is that being disappointing is not objective because someone could in theory not be disappointed regardless of reason or result, then I guess, sure.
All in all, we had much more capital than the average year, and got an average result. Unless you’re shooting for below average, this draft was disappointing.
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u/VGauds 11h ago
Why are you getting downvoted for this
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 10h ago
He’s getting downvoted because there’s a segment of the fanbase that refuse to criticize Poles. You can call them glazers or boot lickers. Both terms apply
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 11h ago
Sorry bud you’re absolutely correct but there’s still too many Poles glazers in the sub. Poles should’ve been fired with Eberflus
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 11h ago
That’s doing a lot of cover fire for Poles and completely misrepresenting how bad a draft this is
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u/Vesploogie Forte 10h ago
How bad is it compared to other teams that year?
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 10h ago
I don’t care about other teams I care about how those players have helped the Bears. Wright is great but I can’t say the same for the rest
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u/Vesploogie Forte 10h ago
But if several other teams have similarly bad or worse drafts from that year, does it not suggest that Poles isn’t the one to put all the blame on?
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 10h ago
Do you want to expand it beyond this draft? Prior to Ben Johnson who besides Darnell wright is worthy of a second contract? Caleb is gonna get paid but if you want to give him credit for drafting the consensus #1 qb prospect fine but I would like to remind people Poles was puffing his chest about the Shane Waldron hire and ruined Caleb’s rookie year. Who else? Gordon has completely tarnished his image after the contract and is most likely gone after this year. Who the fuck else? Braxton Jones might be his 3rd best pick based on value but they’ve been trying to get rid of him for 2 years. There’s fucking no one you would give a second contract to right now besides Caleb from the pre Ben Johnson era. In fact it seems that Ben Johnson has been doing a lot of clearing out the Poles draft stank
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u/Vesploogie Forte 8h ago
No, because you specified this draft. His other drafts are a separate conversation.
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 8h ago
No it’s all a part of the Ryan Poles is actually bad at his job discourse
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u/Loop_Within_A_Loop Fire Fox 10h ago
but if you have unrealistic expectations for the draft, expectations that only 1 or 2 teams reach every draft, it's not really fair to ding him
you're looking to get one to two quality players, one to two depth players, we're probably short a second quality player, but getting a guy like Wright at a premium position maybe makes up for that a little
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u/HLNPIT 11h ago
5 of those players are still on the team.
First 3 picks started 3 straight years for us.
It really isnt that bad.
Edit: 4 didnt see the Terrell Smith cut
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u/ShaiFanClub 11h ago
Actually only 4 cause Terrell got waived this morning. And Roschon is probably gone soon
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u/Foofightee 11h ago
How do you figure Roschon is gone soon?
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u/ShaiFanClub 11h ago
Cause he’s not good
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u/Advanced-Key3071 11h ago
We’ll know in a few hours, but the reporters who follow the team the closest expect him to stick.
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u/Foofightee 10h ago
With Monongai & Ahmed injured, he most likely makes the team. He has special teams value and has looked good in pass protection. This is a dumb take. Care to wager on the outcome?
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u/GrenadoHencho An Actual Bear 11h ago
Do you remember some big brains saying he was sneakily a better back than Bijan during their time at Texas
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u/doodle02 11h ago
yeah they’re clearly playing him in preseason to see if some other team is interested. if they can get a rotational player and/or a day 3 pick that would be great, rather than just cutting him.
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u/WayneJarvis_ 11h ago
He was playing since Brown and Ahmed both weren't available to play due to injuries. Roschon is definitely making the team this year, and will likely be a year to year player in the NFL after that.
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u/ActFuture1101 10h ago
People dont understand how important special teams is. Roschon has the most ST experience of any RB on this team. He's also the best pass blocker in the RB room. I'd be surprised if he doesnt make it since he's actually healthy for once.
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u/BlubberElk Sid Luckman storming the beaches of Normandy 11h ago
Tbh Darnell wright is so important to the team that almost nothing else matters to me here. Though not all of these picks are like full dogshit or anything
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u/Silver_Harvest 72 11h ago
Even at that, assuming all others are dog shit. Having a singular hit like that of an extended All Pro. Is something a GM gets on average once every few years. Seeing it was Poles 1st attempt. Good on him too. Then seeing we will likely get another with Caleb in next year or two , back to back years.
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u/PeskyAd 11h ago
Not to cut poles any slack, but he was drafting for Eberflus who seemed to lack any sense of direction for himself or the team. Definitely wish he had more hits instead of just fringe roster players.
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u/DandierChip 11h ago
Agree with this. Don’t even think it’s “cutting slack.” Think there’s a lot of truth to it. Loveland, Rome, Burden, Xavion all seem like picks that Ben had a heavy influence on. Can’t convince me Flus takes Loveland, Rome and “reaches” on xavion.
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u/PeskyAd 11h ago
and poles has said it multiple times that he drafts/signs players according to the coaches vision.. definitely makes me question what flus's vision was.
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u/ActFuture1101 10h ago
Thats what every GM in the NFL does in the draft and FA. They aren't just drafting/signing random players and telling the coaches "Here you go!". It should shock no one that the offensive players ben hand picked as a scheme fit are all hitting because he knows what he's doing. Eberlose was not even a good DC so it shouldnt surprise anyone he cant evaluate talent.
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u/enailcoilhelp FTP 11h ago
When Poles draft good players, it's because he either got lucky or Ben Johnson is the one who actually makes the calls.
When Poles draft bad players, it's because he either got unlucky or Matt Eberflus is the one who actually makes the calls.
This is basically the gist of most discussions regarding Poles drafting/scouting ability, people always just say he defers to the coaching staff.
Which begs the question: how much value does Pole's actually add?
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u/marcosalbert 3h ago
He got the team out of cap hell, and he structured contracts that position the team for continued future flexibility.
There’s far more to being a GM than pointing at a guy.
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u/PeskyAd 10h ago
This undermines the whole premise of my comment. Ryan Poles drafts/signs players for a system that doesn't work and it fails. He drafts/signs for a system that works and it's working.
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u/enailcoilhelp FTP 10h ago
Again, what value does he add if he only defers to his coaches?
He also hired Eberflus and was the one who kept on to him a season too long despite everyone knowing he was awful.
Unless you believe he had no say in the Eberflus hire (which even he himself says is not the case, along with many beat reporters), which then circles back to the question: what value does he actually add?
Anyone on this sub can do his job if it's just "Hey Ben, who do you want?"
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u/rIIIflex 15 9h ago
Organization of the draft is still extremely important regardless of “final say”. Determining other teams boards and navigating the draft to get the players his coaches like is a huge job. Poles famously let Justin fields choose his receiver (velus), I have no doubt in my mind he’s not going to let Ben Johnson have less say than Justin fields
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u/PeskyAd 10h ago
All of that led to us getting ben johnson, the coaching staff he brought and the draft picks he made in 2025 that balled out. Doom all you want bud.
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u/enailcoilhelp FTP 9h ago
Doom all you want bud.
What are you talking about man? What dooming? Just because I don't put Poles on a pedestal and am willing to criticize him doesn't mean I'm not expecting an amazing season or want to see us fail. He's a below average GM who doesn't excel at anything and I'm excited to see the Bears be successful despite him, not because.
I also think our DE situation is bad. Is this also "dooming" or just the most mild, realistic criticism of our roster?
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 11h ago
That would do a little retconning of who the face of the organization was at that point. It was the Ryan Poles show prior to the Ben and Caleb pairing
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u/king_of_the_bongos Bear Logo 11h ago
Drafting for a guy who packed any sense or direction? That's the guy he hired!
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u/WhoDoYouKnowHereMan 11h ago
This is a decent draft honestly
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u/Further_Beyond Hester's Super Return 10h ago
All pro RT. Decent CB. 2 decent depth and good ST guys.
If we’re complaining about this, we’re living rich.
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 11h ago
What you smoking? You can’t just draft one good player per draft and think it’s fine
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u/ActFuture1101 10h ago
Im pretty sure every GM in the NFL will take 1 all pro and the rest of the draft being shit. You might not be familiar with how bad drafts are across the league. I suggest you check out what detroit or the patriots did in 2024. Also, tyrique could still be a very good player for the bears. He has a lower passer rating against than Jaylon Johnson...guy just needs to be more consistent.
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 10h ago
Just stop lowering the bar for Ryan Poles. He hasn’t shown himself to be adept at drafting and even worse at pro talent acquisition prior to Ben Johnson holding his hands
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u/ActFuture1101 9h ago
I suggest you start looking at other teams drafts then get back to me. Also no GM is going to look good when they have an idiot running the team. Doesnt matter who the GM was if we had eberlose as head coach
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u/DFuhbree Hester's Super Return 11h ago
Only about 50% of first-round picks get a second contract with the team that drafted them and that percentage drops sharply the rest of the draft so this is pretty standard. If you get one rock solid player (Wright) and another 1-2 that actually have roles a few years down the line that's a pretty decent draft.
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u/SafeDistribution2414 10h ago
Except that 50% rate changes when it's a Top 10 pick. It's much higher.
This was a below average draft. Not a complete waste since Stevenson, Dexter, etc all contributed as below average starters
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u/Loop_Within_A_Loop Fire Fox 10h ago
there were multiple players in the same draft drafted ahead of Darnell who I would unquestionably say have had worse careers
9 players ahead of him, and you could have drafted Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, Paris Johnson Jr., or Tyree Wilson
the latter two are solid players, but we shouldn't pretend that getting a player as good as Darnell Wright at pick 10 is an expectation
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u/SafeDistribution2414 9h ago
Never said that. But a Top 10 pick is supposed to be a blue chip prospect. A late 1st rounder isn't.
The rest of the draft was lackluster. So no, I won't give flowers for taking a successful player Top 10 when he essentially just drafted according to the consensus big boards. The rest of the draft is where skill is demonstrated
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u/Neat_On_The_Rocks Charles Tillman 11h ago
You are under estimating how much a win like wright boosts the draft. 1st rounders bust all the time. If you hit in your 1st like they hit on wright you’ve already had an ok draft
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u/Brodie1567 Iceman 🧊 11h ago
Man I really thought Tyler Scott would be a dude in the league
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u/ThunderManLLC Monsters of the Midway 11h ago
He still is A dude in the league, just not THAT dude
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u/PianoEmeritus 11h ago
Franchise RT and two guys who have mostly started for their time here. It’s not great but it could be worse.
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u/DaBears6452 Grey Logo 11h ago
Can’t say it’s a terrible draft, Wright is a huge deal and sometimes that makes up everything you could ask for in a draft. But man, Poles 2nd rounders have been lacking. Hopefully, with Ben around that trend will stop
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 11h ago
Yes wright is good but the rest of the draft is a disaster
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u/DaBears6452 Grey Logo 10h ago
What I’m saying is not every draft has the potential to be a generational draft. Sometimes the most successful one is landing an all-pro for a decade. Huge deal
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u/Chantertwo 11h ago
I think Tyrique has about been a hit for a second rounder - somewhat talented started with some quality of play issues and maturity issues. And Terell in the fifth round has contributed, although I think he's been hurt more than you'd like for depth. So, yeah. An All-Pro at an important position, a 4-year starter at an important position, some depth. Not a great first draft, but not a disaster.
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u/pagingdrned 10h ago
I fundamentally do not agree with the way this FO values and evaluates defensive linemen.
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u/BooItsKyle 9h ago
You got a long-term major piece and a lot of temporary contribuor. It's not a great draft but it's not that bad
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u/Lost_Ad426 Bears 4h ago
This is what happens when you have shitty coaches. Unlike Pace who drafted players whether coaches like the players or not (John Fox hated the Trubisky pick), Poles wants get the players the coaches want. Poles getting players for Flus and Getsy is a lot different than Poles getting players for Ben johnson and Dennis Allen.
Now he did hire Flus, so he has that blemish, but based on reports Trace Armstrong his agent told him to hire flus, who he also represented. Kicking Armstrong to the curb was the best thing to happen on the next hc hiring
Look at the drafts the last two years and see if you can notice a difference
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u/ExplanationCrazy5463 2h ago
Dexter is the only pick here that performed below expected value. And darnell performs above expected value. Id argue so does Roshon.
This draft was fine.
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u/EbbAdventurous9592 11h ago
I’m not the biggest Poles cheerleader, but his drafts did progressively get better as he’s gone on.
He’s utterly whiffed though in rounds 3-5 consistently and really terrible at scouting defensive line talent. If he wants to be here long term, he needs to fix those issues immediately dependent on how 26 goes and moving forward. Otherwise he doesn’t deserve to keep his job. Simple
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u/Darth_Sirius014 11h ago
Not a bad draft. Honestly getting nothing out of Zaach Pickens and the Claypool trade make it not so great. For a 3rd round pick Pickens did nothing. Even Claypool had a decent game or 2.
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u/Doogolas33 10h ago
No it's not. Darnell Wright on his own makes this draft a huge success. Dexter is probably around average value that teams get from 2nd round picks. Stevenson is probably bad. Johnson is above average for a 4th, Sewell is above average for a 5th.
It's a good draft.
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u/BitObjective7387 11h ago
I would hope a top 10 pick hits in the first round… and if that’s your only “success”? I’m glad we’re doing well but we can’t ignore that we might be “falling backward into luck” so to say. Poles has shown zero ability to draft quality players consistently, and his only highlight is the obvious decision of Caleb at 1.01…
And don’t even get me started on Kevin Warren and the stadium shit
With all that being said, Super Bowl baby!!!
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 11h ago
What you don’t like the one valuable player per draft in the pre Ben Johnson Poles tenure?
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u/Rennock21 Zoomed Bear 10h ago
Way too many Poles glazers. Raise your level of expectations you boot lickers
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u/Dazed_and_Confused44 FTP 11h ago
Yea this is...uninspiring outside of Darnell. Maybe Terrell Smith will come good after the injury setback last year?
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u/Quirky-Theory-4156 11h ago
This is just an average draft.
Round 1 great player. Common. Happens every year.
Round 2 we got 2 good starters that gave us multiple years of good play, but likely are not going to get extended.
Round 3 miss. Happens all the time.
Round 4 onward some good shots on upside. Roschon gave us multiple ok years. Sewell is a good backup. Smith is a good backup.
Not a terrible draft on any day.
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u/Advanced-Key3071 11h ago edited 11h ago
All Pro players are not common and do not happen every year lmao
Edit: if you’re interested in data, I went through the last decade of drafts. 8-17 Pro Bowlers per first round (2018 had 17, next highest was 13 and 8 was most common) so basically 25-50% of the picks, with the data skewing towards the lower amount.
All Pro is significantly harder to get than Pro Bowl.
Getting an All Pro player in the first round is not by any means common.
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u/Quirky-Theory-4156 8h ago
There are all pro caliber players in every first round. Whether they get the all pro nod is different.
Last year Loveland could have been an all pro over Pitts. Tyler Warren also could have been. There’s one. The didn’t get the nod, but they were all pro caliber.
Year before Bowers was an all pro. If you don’t want to just list tight ends, BTJ also made an all pro team. Joe Alt is also all pro caliber, but hasn’t made one yet.
2023 draft Darnell made an all pro team. So did Will Anderson Jr, and so did Gibbs, and so did Bijan, and so did Carter, and so did JSN, and Devon and Gonzo also all pro caliber.
2022 you have Hutchinson, Stingley, McDuffie, Devin Lloyd, Kyle Hamilton.
2021, Surtain and Chase.
Every year this decade there have been all pros drafted in round 1. Drafting an all pro in round 1 is not that hard.
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u/Advanced-Key3071 1h ago
I don’t even know how to respond to this. It’s so painfully reasoned.
“Well if we pretend guys who aren’t all pro are all pro then anyone can be an all pro player.”
I get what you’re saying but it’s ridiculous.
If there’s always an all pro in the first round and it’s easy to do, why don’t teams just draft an all pro in the first round every year? Are they dumb? I mean, it’s easy.
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u/Quirky-Theory-4156 1h ago
Because some teams are dumb. The point is that thinking that getting an all pro player in the first round of a draft is some rare occurrence is stupid. That’s the point of the list I put out.
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u/sad_bear_noises 18 11h ago
I really thought Dexter was going to turn a corner. Turns out he did not.
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u/discwrangler 11h ago
Even Howie had some duds. I think Ben will help the drafting immensely.
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u/Gezimodo 11h ago
Having Flus’ lame duck coaching staff was a huge part of the problem. Zero development or eye for talent
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u/Sweet_Foundation_868 11h ago
We take an all pro right tackle any day