Chicago Bears: Poles continues to show discipline in first round of NFL Draft

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles continues to show discipline in his rebuild. He picks up players the team needs rather than the ones the fans want

The 2023 NFL Draft is underway. Last night the first round started. There were plenty of surprise picks and trades. One of those trades involved the Chicago Bears.

General manager Ryan Poles already started the wheeling and dealing in early March when he traded away the number one pick to the Carolina Panthers. He pulled off another one in the first round, though it was not as big as the first one.

Poles moved down as some thought he would. However, it was just one pick down. He traded the ninth pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 10th pick and the Eagles’ fourth-round pick.

With the 10th pick, Poles selected University of Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright.

Poles continues to give quarterback Justin Fields the help he needs to succeed. Through free agency and the top overall pick trade he acquired wide receiver D.J. Moore, tight end Robert Tonyan, running backs D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer, and offensive guard Nate Davis.

Now Poles picks up the right tackle the Chicago Bears sorely needed. With that pick, Fields now has better protection to find the better targets he now has.

Poles continues to show discipline for building Chicago Bears

Many draft experts expected the Bears to go for either Paris Johnson or Jalen Carter. Johnson came off the board early when the Arizona Cardinals selected him at six.

Carter, however, was available at nine. While many expected Poles to go after him, he traded the pick. It seems that Poles never had any intention of picking Carter. His priority was an offensive tackle and whether it was Johnson or Wright, he was getting his man.

By trading down just one spot, Poles assured that he would still select Wright. In the process, he picks up another draft pick. He said on a number of occasions that he wants to build the roster primarily through the draft.

The pick bothered many fans. Carter was the popular pick. He has the potential to become a future All-Pro and have a long and successful career. However, Poles stuck to his plan on helping Fields. He picked up the player the team needed and not the player the fans wanted.

This is in stark contrast to what previous general managers did. They did not hesitate to go for the popular pick and forget about more pressing needs. That happened not only with the draft but also with free agency.

Poles has a vision of how he wants to build this team and he is sticking to his plan

There were many fans complaining about picking up the lesser-known Wright. He was very well-known to many draft experts, however. He played in the best conference in the nation, the SEC. Against the best competition in the nation, Wright showed to be the best offensive lineman.

Last year, he gave up no sacks and just two quarterback hits. He took on Will Anderson, the edge rusher who was considered the most talented prospect in the draft, and shut him down. Anderson came nowhere close to the quarterback. He said that Wright was the most difficult lineman he ever went up against.

Wright is big at 6-foot-5, 333 pounds, and has incredible strength. He also has good footwork and is quick for his size. He can take a pass rusher’s bull rush or use his quickness to keep up with one who is more athletic. He uses his strength and length to move the defender away and open a gaping hole. His quickness allows him to get into the second level and obliterate linebackers.

Some fans might not like this pick. Getting an offensive lineman isn’t a sexy move. However, do you know what is sexy? Watching Fields get proper protection and make big plays with his arms and open gaping holes for the running game to succeed. Sexy is watching an effective offense scoring points and winning games.