Bears Draft History: Breaking down the success rate of Ryan Poles and his draft decisions through each round since 2022

Kole Noble — Chicago Bears News Writer

Apr 7, 2025 9:44 AM EDT

Aug 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles looks on before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field. — Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Since taking over as the general manager of the Chicago Bears in 2022, Ryan Poles has had his fair-share of highs and lows rebuilding this roster.

A lot of bad decisions have been made, many he's admitted to. But, Poles has also made a few stellar additions in the draft at various points over the last four years. He's shown he's not afraid to make some big swings but he's also shown the ability to find a few late-round diamonds as well.

Even though many weren't excited to see Poles back in the same role in 2025, the addition of Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen to the coaching staff will only improve his ability to find key contributors and strong team fits in the 2025 NFL Draft.

But, before we get there, let's take a trip back through the last three draft classes and really analyze how successful Poles has been through the draft round by round.

"To me, it comes down to toughness. We’re looking to establish an identity to … really get this team going in the right direction."

Bears GM Ryan Poles discusses the team’s approach heading into the NFL Draft ? pic.twitter.com/Cvip6Iadaq
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 1, 2025

Round 1

Successful: 3
Failed: 0
TBD: 0

2022: N/A
2023: RT Darnell Wright (via trade back with CAR & PHI)
2024: QB Caleb Williams
2024: WR Rome Odunze

In the first-round, Ryan Poles has been super successful. He didn't have a Day 1 selection in his first draft after the previous regime used it to move up for Justin Fields in 2021. But, the next year, Poles made one of the best trades in NFL history moving back from the first overall pick with Carolina landing an absolute draft haul along with a top offensive weapon in DJ Moore. A move that is easily his crowning achievement.

The decision afterward to trade back from #9 to #10 allowing Philadelphia to land DT Jalen Carter will always be puzzling but speaks more about Poles desire to land high-character players over talent. Which led Chicago to draft RT Darnell Wright, who has made continuous improvements and will be a bookend staple for years to come.

And using the #1 overall pick thanks to the Panthers trade, Poles made another easy call drafting Caleb Williams to be the team's new franchise quarterback. But the best part of the opening night in 2024 was standing still and waiting on Rome Odunze to fall right into his lap, thanks to his right-hand man Ian Cunningham.

Round 2

Successful: 3.5
Failed: 0
TBD: 1.5

2022: CB Kyler Gordon
2022: S Jaquan Brisker
2023: DT Gervon Dexter Sr.
2023: CB Tyrique Stevenson
2023: Traded for WR Chase Claypool
2024: Traded for DE Montez Sweat

Poles has experience in having two picks at the start of Day 2 in the second-round and solid history using those picks, which is a great sign going into the 2025 draft with the 39th and 41st overall picks. Outside of the disaster trade for Chase Claypool.

The double up in 2022 in the secondary to land Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker was a major success. Both players bring a special energy and physicality to the defense that's evident when they're off the field. Gordon should soon land a long-term extension and while Brisker has been a continued starter, I have him listed as 50/50 on success and to be determined due to his concussion history. We'll see how 2025 goes.

As for 2023, again Poles doubled up on defense landing Gervon Dexter Sr. and Tyrique Stevenson. Dexter has been a success after his breakout 2024 campaign and should be in line for another big year again. Stevenson, however, looked like an early success landing the starting outside job but his issues in 2024 still complicate his potential. Thus, I'm still listing him as TBD until he see how Dennis Allen uses him.

And finally, Poles traded the 2024 second-rounder at the deadline in 2023 to land a top alpha DE in Montez Sweat, who made immediate impacts upon arriving. He took a slight step back in 2024 but is still going to be a major contributor going forward.

Round 3

Successful: 0
Failed: 2
TBD: 1

2022: WR Velus Jones Jr.
2023: DT Zacch Pickens
2024: LT Kiran Amegadjie

The third-round has been the weakest part of the draft for Poles over the last three years. Velus Jones Jr. never lived up to his potential and was eventually released, weeks after Poles turned down trade requests for the guy.

Zacch Pickens ended his sophomore season on the healthy inactive list and still hasn't been able to have his breakout moment, if he even reaches one. And he could even be on the roster bubble this summer if another DT gets added in this year's draft.

And for Kiran Amegadjie, it's not fair to list him as a failed pick yet. Drafting him with such a high pick coming off a major injury while needing a lot of development was a narrow-minded decision that came back to bite the team in 2024. But, Poles and Ben Johnson don't seem to be giving up on the guy, in fact it's the opposite. Both decision-makers believe he can still one day reach his potential at the position.

Round 4

Successful: 1
Failed: 2
TBD: 0

2022: N/A
2023: WR Tyler Scott
2023: RB Roschon Johnson
2024: P Tory Taylor
2024: Traded for WR Keenan Allen
2025: Used to trade up for DE Austin Booker

As for the fourth-round, it also hasn't been as kind to the team's general manager. After not having a fourth-rounder in 2022, Poles had two the following season.

The selections of Tyler Scott and Roschon Johnson were each promising on draft night but neither panned out. The team completely forgot Scott was even on the roster in 2024 for some strange reason despite a strong training camp and his ability to stretch the field. As for Johnson, his carries were cut in half during his second season despite playing one less game. It was an odd turn of events for both players.

And with last year's draft, selecting a punter in the fourth-round was a questionable call at first. But, after seeing Tory Taylor in action, it's clear he can be a weapon. In the same 2024 draft, Poles parted ways with his 2025 fourth-rounder to move back into the draft and take Austin Booker (more on him below).

Round 5

Successful: 4
Failed: 1
TBD: 0

2022: LT Braxton Jones
2022: DE Dominique Robinson
2023: LB Noah Sewell
2023: CB Terell Smith
2024: Traded for OL Ryan Bates
2024: DE Austin Booker

All things considered, Poles has been pretty solid in the fifth-round. Going back to 2022, landing a starting caliber left tackle in Braxton Jones at that point in the draft was a steal. As for Dominique Robinson, he's managed to play 34 games since being drafted with 876 defensive snaps and 244 on special teams. For a fifth-rounder, that's solid, even if he doesn't make the team again in 2025.

The 2023 class in this round was a different story. Noah Sewell hasn't lived up to much in two years due to injury. Terell Smith, however, has been a major success starting six games since being drafted while being a real rotational contributor on the outside.

Now, as for Austin Booker, I'm hoping for a big jump out of him in 2025 but he was drafted to be a developmental guy as well. Even with that in mind, he still played all 17 games as a rookie with 1.5 sacks. That's a success in my book.

Round 6

Successful: 1
Failed: 2
TBD: 0

2022: OL Zachary Thomas
2022: RB Trestan Ebner
2022: OL Doug Kramer
2023: Traded for WR Jakeem Grant
2024: Traded for OL Dan Feeney
2025: Traded for DE Darrell Taylor
2025: Traded for RG Jonah Jackson

A lot of wheeling and dealing has been done with the sixth-rounders and rightfully so. Poles had one decent pick in Doug Kramer, who is still on the roster, but Zachary Thomas and Trestan Ebner were duds of selections. I'm fine considering Kramer as a success in the sixth-round, especially if Ben Johnson gets creative with him.

Other than that, Poles had two misses in Jakeem Grant and Dan Feeney in trades with the Dolphins. The trade to get Darrell Taylor as a one-year rental was a decent move. And the recent move to acquire Jonah Jackson was a huge move to make for 2025.

Round 7

Successful: 1
Failed: 4
TBD: 0

2022: OL Ja'Tyre Carter
2022: S Elijah Hicks
2022: P Trenton Gill
2023: DL Travis Bell
2023: S Kendall Williamson
2024: Traded for WR N'Keal Harry

Of the seventh-round selections, only one remains on the roster heading into 2025 and that player is safety Elijah Hicks, who has become a solid depth piece in the secondary. Ja'Tyre Carter had promise but didn't live up to it and the other three didn't last long on the roster.

With two seventh-rounders in 2025 (thanks to the Khalil Herbert trade), Poles needs to find a new strategy in this round to land high-upside depth players, much like Hicks was in 2022. That's how you find some value in the final round.

Overall

Successful: 13.5
Failed: 11
TBD: 2.5
Total Picks: 27

Looking at this breakdown, it's clear what areas Poles needs to improve on going into the 2025 NFL Draft. Early rounds, he's been consistent at finding impact players who fit the team culture. But, from the third-round on, he's struggled.

This draft needs to be about identifying high-upside depth and developmental players in Rounds 3-7, something he's had issues doing since 2022. Having a stronger coaching staff will help make some of those decisions a little easier and increase the hit rate in the later rounds. We'll see what happens.