Ryan Poles spoke to the media Friday night after picking his first three players for the Chicago Bears in rounds two and three of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Freshman general manager felt good about his team’s selections, adding two players to the secondary in round two and a wide receiver in the third.
“Today went really well,” Poles said. “We added three players that I know are going to help our team get better.”
Poles acknowledged the Bears still have a ways to go in order to address the offensive line, something he didn’t decide to take on the second night. He noted there were multiple opportunities for the Bears to improve that group, even after the draft.
“There’s still guys on the streets,” Poles said.
The Bears took Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Velus Jones on Friday night.
Selections were made based on where players were on their draft board. Kyler Gordon, the 39th overall pick and the Bears’ first, was a surprise to Poles. In preparation with draft simulations, Poles told staff to ignore his name when it came up at 39, because he didn’t believe the Washington Huskie product would still be available.
Many analysts and fans expected Poles to make the offense better with their high-value picks, but Poles said he didn’t want to force a receiver when other positions had superior talent.
“I just think it would be a huge mistake to say let’s just ignore that really good player over there and lets go over here and take someone just because we need that right now,” Poles said.
Poles felt like his draft team did well being disciplined, and the Bears got better overall as a result. Gordon, Brisker, and Jones will be able to improve the Bears’ playmaking on the field and the culture the team is trying to create, Poles said.
Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.
