The first draft is important for any GM. It lays the foundation for what you’re trying to build. However, the second draft often determines what direction the franchise will go. Ryan Poles understands this. When he arrived with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009, new GM Scott Pioli inherited a bad team. They’d gone 2-14 the year prior. He was tasked with tearing everything down and starting over. His first draft was a mixed bag but at least offered a glimpse into what Pioli wanted to build. Whether he’d achieve some of that vision depended on his second draft.
It went pretty well. Kansas City nabbed star safety Eric Berry with the 5th pick in 2010. A round later, they secured versatile weapon Dexter McCluster. They also added starting guard Jon Asamoah and defensive back Kendrick Lewis. Four starters in one class, including two future Pro Bowlers. That set the tone for the coming season as the Chiefs went 10-6, making the playoffs. While the team took some steps back in 2011 and 2012, Pioli continued to stack solid drafts moving forward. So when Andy Reid arrived as the head coach in 2013, the team was ready to win.
Ryan Poles might already be ahead of the game.
Unlike Pioli, his first draft class appears to have added multiple starters to the roster in Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Braxton Jones. Now he goes into his second draft holding the #1 overall pick and eight selections overall. This is a golden opportunity for him to deliver a standout class that can propel the Chicago Bears forward. Poles knows what he wants to do. He has a plan. That involved targeting the premium positions, seeking star power at offensive tackle, defensive end, cornerback, and wide receiver. It is the same approach he learned in Kansas City.
That seems to have worked out well for them. Other Bears GMs have seen the value of good second drafts. Seven of Ryan Pace’s picks from 2016 are still in the league. Two made the Pro Bowl, and two others won the Super Bowl. Jerry Angelo nabbed two superstars in his second draft with Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs. The evidence is consistent. This is an important draft for Ryan Poles. It might not break him, but it can certainly make him. Maybe he can be different from the rest.
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Every draft is important. I was very impressed with our rookie class. You could argue that three of them were better than any of the veterans at their positions. I’d take Braxton over the rest of the tackles. Brisker over Jackson and Gordon is really pushing Johnson for cb1 if he hasn’t passed him already. Not bad at all for what Poles had to work with. Can’t wait till we’re on the clock.
Lynn Todd: I agree, that’s Poles’s motivation, to build through the draft. But I also think he will pick up a number of lower level FA players that fit the structure, to not limit his choices. Last year he picked up bargain basement FA players at WR because he needed to. This year, I suspect he will fill out more of those positions with serviceable players that would be adequate starters so that he doesn’t HAVE to draft players at those positions, and then will use the draft to find long term high performing starters. If a strong starter doesn’t… Read more »
The days of strictly building a team through the draft ended when free agency began, hence, teams now having quick turnarounds from bad years to good years, e.g. Jaguars, Eagles, etc. So, the two (draft and FA) should compliment one another, with the draft being the building block, not one cancelling out the need for the other.
Poles and company are loving this! Nobody has figured out the decisions that were made to improve the draft position once the playoffs were out of the question, and so many are buying the farce that they could move on from Justin. This is a masterclass on the nfl draft! If their picks are half as good as their performance so far (as I’m certain they will be) there are great days ahead for us! Go Bears!
Sorry folks. Poles isn’t going to build the team through free agency. Maybe a couple pieces but that is all. He is not like the other general managers we have had. So if you are looking for a quick turnaround it’s not going to happen. He is going to build this team through the draft and free agency will prove it this year.