Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has taken plenty of flak over the years, most frequently for his track record in the NFL Draft.
Poles has had some noteworthy misses, and is on the second head coach under his watch.
The good news for the Bears is that Poles appears to have found his quarterback of the present and future, and paired him with a head coach who has rejuvenated the fan base. Poles’ fingerprints are all over the Bears’ turnaround, including some of his more recently questioned moves.
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Ryan Poles Fast-Tracked Bears’ Turnaround
NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice graded every team’s 2025 draft classes, and Poles’ haul for the Bears–which included eight picks, three of which were in the second round–came in at the top of the cycle.
Not just in the NFC, but in the NFL. The Bears received one of two “A” grades, with the Cleveland Browns’ seven-man class claiming the other.
Filice highlighted the Bears’ top four picks in particular.
“Chicago just went from worst to first in the NFC North, thanks in large part to Ben Johnson tapping into Caleb Williams’ rare ability. But the first-year head coach wasn’t the only person to help the second-year quarterback. Four rookies played crucial roles in a Bears attack that went from dead last in total offense in 2024 to No. 6 in ’25,” Filice wrote on February 11.
“Combining this crop of rookies with the significant additions from the previous two drafts (Williams, WR Rome Odunze and RT Darnell Wright), Chicago has a spectacular young core to illuminate [Ben] Johnson’s beautiful offensive mind.”
First-round pick and tight end Colston Loveland stood out on his own. He also combined with second-round WR Luther Burden III to form the most productive rookie duo down the stretch.
Second-round left tackle Ozzy Trapilo helped stabilize the offensive line.
Seventh-round running back Kyle Monangai combined with incumbent veteran D’Andre Swift, leading to the Bears boasting the third-best rushing attack in the league during the regular season.
Bears Draft Class Underestimated
Trapilo is a question mark heading into the offseason. He ruptured his patellar tendon in the postseason, requiring surgery, and his rehab could linger into next season.
Still, Filice’s take on the Bears’ draft class is in stark contrast with the reactions before the year.
Sharp Football Analysis’ Warren Sharp ranked the Bears’ draft class 24th in his “Draft Capital Over Expectation” metric in April. Sharp did not crush the Bears’ class as much as set a low bar for what they might accomplish.
Like Loveland and Monangai, fourth-round pick and linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II was among the picks analysts questioned.
Even Hyppolite, who played in seven games, flashed his potential, though the jury is still out.
Bears Getting Reinforcements
The Bears will get what essentially amounts to a pair of additional draft picks–they officially have seven selections in this April’s draft–with cornerback Zah Frazier and defensive lineman Shemar Turner due back.
Frazier did not play at all during the 2025 season due to a personal issue that remains undisclosed.
Turner missed time before the season and played in five games before suffering a torn ACL.
That is in addition to veteran 2025 free agency pick-up Dayo Odeyingbo, who ruptured his Achilles tendon during the season. The prospects of getting those players back offer a tantalizing outlook for the Bears. They are working with house money in that sense. They have some financial hurdles to clear, but the future remains brighter than the past.
