Draft Insider Predicts Outcome If Ryan Poles Makes #1 Pick Available

The Chicago Bears have to be feeling good about themselves lately. Not only has their team won three of its last four games thanks to some dominant defense and explosive plays on offense, but their 2024 draft prospects look even better. With their loss last Sunday against New Orleans, the Carolina Panthers now hold a two-game lead for control of the #1 pick in the draft. Put simply, even if they win three of their last four games, the Bears will likely hold the top spot for the second straight season. GM Ryan Poles looks like a genius at the moment.

His trade last March likely was never intended to land him the #1 pick again. His trade with Carolina was meant to secure a good player and some quality draft assets. D.J. Moore is in line to make his first Pro Bowl with the Bears. After trading the 9th pick to Philadephia for the 10th pick and a future 4th, he drafted Darnell Wright, who has started every game at right tackle. Now, the Bears are guaranteed a top-3 pick with great odds of landing #1. Poles has a golden opportunity to change the landscape of this organization.

The obvious question is what he does with that pick. Most believe he will use it on a new quarterback. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are the two hottest names. However, some wonder if Poles might pull the same stunt twice, trading the pick again. Draft insider Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus believes there will be a massive bidding war for that spot if it happens.

Ryan Poles' path forward hinges on Justin Fields.

The GM promised to give the young quarterback another year to develop. All things considered, the 24-year-old has made progress. Despite a rough start to the season, his completion percentage, yards per game, TD-to-INT ratio, and passer rating have all improved from last year. He's 3-2 in his previous five starts as well. Nobody can argue he has gotten better. The obvious question is whether the improvement is enough to justify passing on Williams, Maye, or another top quarterback. Most GMs only get one crack at drafting a quarterback with the #1 overall pick. Poles is about to get a second.

Has Fields played well enough to justify passing on two QB prospects many consider the best to come out of college in years? That is not an easy decision. At the same time, collecting two more future 1st round picks with another trade down would enable Ryan Poles to stack this roster in ways that haven't been seen in at least 30 years. It will come down to how confident he is any of the QBs in this class will become superstars. Fields has four games left to make that decision easier, one way or another.