Chicago Bears: Despite having only four picks, Poles will control the draft

Despite having only four picks in Thursday’s NFL Draft, Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles could dominate. He has four important picks and the draft will run through him.

We are just hours from the start of the 2024 NFL Draft. Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles is ready to run the most important draft in franchise history. He only has four draft picks this weekend. However, all four come within the first four rounds. In addition, two of his picks are within the top ten.

Poles could dominate the draft. Of course, having the top pick in the draft, all eyes will be on him and the Chicago Bears right at the start. However, there are likely no surprises coming with that pick. After the trade of quarterback Justin Fields, the notion was that the pick would be a quarterback.

With the way Poles followed Poles with a small village of people to two dinners and USC’s Pro Day, it is no secret that Caleb Williams will be the choice.

What the Bears do after that is the bigger question. That ninth pick will be huge. It is in a place where many teams can afford to move up and go after their coveted target. Additionally, it is in a place where Poles can move up and select another elite prospect.

Some might say that Poles does not have the assets to move up from nine. However, he has nine picks in the 2025 draft. Of those, five of them are in the first four rounds. If Poles has a prospect he absolutely needs to have, he certainly has the assets to move up and pick, for example, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

In addition to the two picks among the first nine, the Bears have a third-round pick, number 75, and a fourth-round pick at 122. Having just four picks, Poles can use those last two picks to accumulate many more picks. That would then strengthen the roster.

Of course, using the last two trades to acquire more picks means that the Chicago Bears will have lower picks. However, there are some diamonds later in the draft who could still be key contributors. Some of them can end up being starters. Look at Braxton Jones. He was a fifth-round pick who beat out a second-round pick and is now a two-year starter.

Some others can provide rotational help. Not all of the picks can be starters. For example, the Chicago Bears need a backup defensive tackle. It appears as if Gervon Dexter will be the starter. There are prospects out there who have questions as starters but who can be very good backups. That makes the position much stronger.

It will be interesting what Poles does. As mentioned earlier, this could be one of the most impactful drafts in team history. At any rate, Poles will have his fingerprints on the 2024 NFL Draft throughout the weekend despite having just four picks.