How Ryan Poles’ Two Mentors Point To What The Bears GM Will Do With The 25th Pick

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is in uncharted territory heading into his fifth NFL draft. Up until now, with the exception of his first season, when he had no 1st-round pick, he has selected exclusively in the top 10. The Bears have benefitted from this, adding Darnell Wright, Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland over the past three years. This spring will bring a different challenge. Chicago sits at 25th overall in the 1st round. They haven’t selected this late since 2011, when they sat at 29th.

Poles knows the challenge of landing a good player at such a spot is much tougher because 24 players will be gone by the time he’s on the clock, many of whom will be high on his board. Previous Bears general managers have fallen into this trap. Jerry Angelo picked in the bottom third of the 1st round four times, coming away with Marc Colombo, Rex Grossman, Greg Olsen, and Gabe Carimi. Phil Emery delivered Shea McClellin and Kyle Long. it can be a hazardous area that derails any momentum your organization may have.

Ryan Poles had two mentors with tons of experience in this situation.

The Bears GM often credited two men for shaping how he grew as a scout and personnel executive. They were former Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli and his successor, John Dorsey. Combined, those two had a wealth of experience working for teams who picked regularly in the #20-32 range. Pioli did it mostly with the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, while Dorsey did it with the Green Bay Packers. Here is a list of the names acquired during those extended stints.

While every draft is different, there appears to be an emphasis on two positions. Edge rusher and offensive tackle comprised eight of the picks. Only wide receiver got close at three. That paints a rather clear picture for the Bears two months from now. They don’t need a wide receiver, which means the odds are high that the 25th pick will either be an edge rusher or an offensive tackle. The strategy isn’t a bad one. Of those eight players selected, six of them went on to have productive NFL careers.

Poles and the Bears should have a solid list of options.

Draft experts never predict things the same way, but they do view certain names as plausible options in the mid-20s range for the Bears to choose from. There is Utah left tackle Caleb Lomu or Georgia left tackle Monroe Freeling. Both are excellent athletes at the position with solid pass protection skills. Then you have Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor and Missouri defensive end Zion Young. Both had breakout seasons in 2025. Mesidor went to the national championship game while Young dominated the Senior Bowl.

All of this comes down to who is on the board when the Bears go on the clock. Ryan Poles will likely have a specific guy he really likes. That is often how it works with him. The issue this time is that it won’t be his decision alone. Head coach Ben Johnson has final say on all major roster decisions. He’ll have to sign off on the pick before it happens. That said, don’t expect Johnson to resist the idea of adding a pass protector or pass rusher. He understands how football works better than anybody.