A common theme of previous Chicago Bears general managers is they always seem to hit fans with a pick in the 1st round that nobody saw coming. It involves a player that wasn’t projected to go anywhere near where the Bears took them, resulting in many people crying out, “Who?” when the name was announced. That is almost never a good sign. Ryan Pace did it with Leonard Floyd in 2016. Phil Emery did it with Shea McClellin in 2012. Jerry Angelo was also guilty, taking Chris Williams 14th in 2008. So it is easy to understand why people are nervous about what Ryan Poles will do.
We’ve heard the popular names by now. Presuming the Bears stay put at 9th overall, it feels like the names involved for that spot are set. It will be one of the following:
- Georgia DT Jalen Carter
- Ohio State OT Paris Johnson
- Georgia OT Broderick Jones
- Northwestern OL Peter Skoronski
- Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
All of those names have at least some justification for going that high due to their significant talent and upside. So who might be the one name in this draft that can create chaos? That player Poles falls in love with and is willing to buck every trend to get, even if it’s a clear reach to most. I think I found the guy.
Ryan Poles is almost guaranteed to love Keion White.
Remember, he was with the Chiefs when they took Chris Jones in 2016. The Georgia Tech defensive lineman has a similar profile. He’s 6’5, 285 lbs, and has 34-inch arms. He plays with good quickness, plenty of strength and doesn’t lack violence. His primary concerns stem from a lack of polish in his pass rush techniques. However, his impressive showing at the Senior Bowl led many to think he’s starting to figure that part out. Even so, many still project him late in the 1st round or early in the 2nd round.
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His college production is weird. He dominated in 2019 for Old Dominion (3.5 sacks, 19 TFLs), disappeared for two years, and then broke out for Tech last year with 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss. There are obvious risks involved with taking him. Still, he checks every box Ryan Poles would covet in a prospect. If ever there was a player he might hit the chaos button for, it’s White.
