Cameras Catch Interesting Exchange Between Dennis Allen And Ryan Poles

The Chicago Bears released their latest episode of 1920 Football Drive this week. This one covered the sequence of events between the scouting combine and the start of free agency in March. It covered their big acquisitions of Joe Thuney, Grady Jarrett, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman. However, the most intriguing moment came at the combine. During one moment in the Bears' suite, GM Ryan Poles was caught talking with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen about a specific player.

Allen asks the GM where the team ranks "him." Poles responded by stating high, perhaps the #1 or #2 prospect on the team's board.

This immediately raises all sorts of questions. The most obvious is who they're talking about. First off, the fact it's Allen asking suggests it is a defensive player. People may say it is either Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, the top two non-QB prospects in the draft. However, that doesn't make sense. Allen wouldn't bother asking about them knowing full well both will be gone within the top three or four picks. This has to be somebody the Bears feel has at least an outside shot of being there at #10.

Here is where the detective work comes in. If you rewatch the video, you'll see a player being interviewed reflecting off the glass behind Allen and Poles. It is Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.

Dennis Allen seems to like the idea of Graham in Chicago.

That shouldn't be a surprise. The Bears' defensive coordinator has a long track record of preferring good interior pass rushers in his system. This was true of Sheldon Rankins and again with Bryan Bresee in New Orleans. Both were first-round picks. Graham is viewed by most as a top-10 prospect in this class. His great mix of strength, quickness, and nonstop motor allows him to constantly disrupt the opposing backfield. The big concern with him is size. He's only 6'3 and 296 lbs. Some teams may not wish to use such a high pick on a player of average dimensions.

It appears neither Dennis Allen nor Ryan Poles have any such reservations. Rankins was also undersized when New Orleans took him. He still had 17.5 sacks and 44 QB hits in five seasons with the team. There is no reason to think Graham can follow the same path. He is the same caliber of athlete and excelled in big games for the Wolverines. Putting him, Jarrett, Montez Sweat, and Gervon Dexter on the same front would give Allen all sorts of chess pieces to move around.