How the Bears are approaching this week’s NFL draft
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and assistant general manager Jeff King provided insight on their thinking heading into the start of this week’s NFL draft.
Chicago will have four picks in the top 89, beginning with the No. 25 overall pick in the first round on Thursday.
Here are four of the most interesting things the Bears said Tuesday.
Draft approach
For the first time during his tenure as Bears GM, Poles will try to supplement a playoff roster as opposed to building from the ground up.
Although he only gave a statement Tuesday and didn’t take questions, Poles said he felt comfortable with where the team stood heading into the weekend.
“I’ve got a ton of confidence things are going to work out just the way we planned them to be,” Poles said. “If things start to shift and move, we’re agile enough to make adjustments if that’s moving up, moving back, we’ll be ready for anything that comes our way.”
The Bears will also have a set approach when it comes to a specific type of prospect.
There are more older prospects coming into the league out of college because of Name, Image and Likeness and extra years of eligibility. Some of the prospects linked to the Bears, like Miami edge Akheem Mesidor, will come to the NFL at 25.
King said it’s something the Bears will need to think more about in the future. But for now, they’re taking it on a case-by-case basis.
“How much tread’s on the tires?,” King said. “Like, how’d they play? What’s their journey like? Have they had injuries? I think it’s always case-to-case, but something that we’ll definitely have to deal with going forward.”
The Bears’ target
King said the best teams and players he’s been around compete daily, not just on Sundays. He wants to build a situation where the Bears’ draft picks will create difficult roster decisions.
“I think it’s the silent tape,” King said. “When you put on tape and the guys we probably get excited about the most is, you don’t have to read the character. You can see it. You can see how they compete, show up in big games, pick up their teammates, raise the level of their teammates’ games.”
Defensive end, defensive tackle, safety and left tackle are major needs heading into the weekend. Chicago could also look to supplement at cornerback, linebacker and the rest of the offensive line.
Poles has maintained a best-player-available approach for much of the draft process. But a position of need might beat out another position if everything else is equal.
“At the end of the day, you’re not going to go wrong by taking the best football player,” King said. “I think we all agree with that. And so if it’s somewhat on the same plane, maybe the positions come into play. But as we see it, we’re going to take the best football player for now and the future.”
Coaches’ impact
Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s impact was clear during last year’s draft. Poles used three of his first four selections in the first two rounds to add playmakers to the offense.
Even if the Bears don’t go with offense with most of their top picks this time around, Johnson will still have a big say on this weekend’s decisions.
“We take his opinion and weigh it heavily,” King said. “What he thinks matters. He’s the head coach of the football team. He’s an offensive play caller and he has a good feel for the team and we take that very seriously.”
The Bears’ scouting department has a much better understanding of what they’re looking for this year compared to last year.
But that doesn’t mean the Bears will be pigeonholed into specific players because of the different coaching styles on the staff. King said the coaches aren’t done evolving and being creative, which allows the scouting department to bring in players who might not specifically fit into what the Bears have right now.
“They know when to pivot,” King said. “They know when to be maybe ahead of the curve, when they feel like they’re behind the curve. And when you’re building a roster that helps, because we can now anticipate and stay ahead of some roster decisions down the road. It’s (Johnson’s) ability to adapt on the fly, both on Sunday but now when we’re going through the draft board.”
Positions of need
After last year’s starters — Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker — left in free agency, the Bears will likely look for a starting safety after signing Coby Bryant this offseason. King said the Bears felt comfortable with Bryant’s flexibility and versatility, and backups Cam Lewis and Elijah Hicks could also start games.
“I think that we are in a position to where we can add to the room,” King said. “Sure, just like any other room. But we feel confident in the guys we have acquired and that we’ve had in the building where, if we had to go play tomorrow, we would.”
Chicago could also look for its center of the future this weekend. Drew Dalman created a hole when he suddenly retired this offseason. Poles traded for veteran Garrett Bradbury, but he’ll have one year left on his contract.
Finding a new center won’t be easy. There are fewer options since many are staying in school longer. It could force the Bears to select one sooner in the draft than normal depending on how things unfold.
“They’re just getting harder and harder to find,” King said. “I don’t know if they’re getting developed, cross-trained as much in college as maybe they used to be but it’s definitely something that we’ve talked about. There’s a little bit of a limited supply coming out of college right now.”