New Footage Shows Bears' Ozzy Trapilo Pick Had Some Drama Around It

The Chicago Bears liked how the draft had been unfolding through the 1st and early 2nd rounds. They'd nabbed two highly talented offensive weapons for Caleb Williams: tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden. However, GM Ryan Poles had a problem. The Bears held two more picks on the second day. One was a second in the 2nd round, and then their 3rd rounder. Two players were high on Poles' board that he wanted. The problem was that there's a good chance whoever they took between Boston College tackle Ozzy Trapilo and Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Turner with the 2nd rounder meant the other wasn't likely to be available in the 3rd.

That meant the Bears GM would have to get creative. New footage from 1920 Football Drive showed he and assistant GM Ian Cunningham working the phones as the 2nd round was ongoing. The goal was simple: find a way to secure another pick in the projected range that both players had a favorable chance of going. It meant they'd have to make a sacrifice by moving down from the 41st overall pick with another team. Buffalo ended up giving them the window they needed. Chicago received the 56th and 62nd picks in the deal.

Lastly, Poles made the last-second decision to take Trapilo first, feeling the drop-off at offensive tackle would be much steeper than at defensive line if Turner got scooped.

The Ozzy Trapilo trade was one of Poles' most well-executed.

He had to juggle so much information under a ticking clock. His board said Ozzy Trapilo and Turner were two players the team coveted. Yet his projections showed the odds of either reaching the 3rd round were remote. Rather than accept reality, Poles worked a deal that positioned the Bears to get both without sacrificing anything significant. Chicago got themselves a giant offensive tackle who can compete for both starting spots and a violent defensive lineman who would fit perfectly in Dennis Allen's scheme. It wasn't a coincidence when Kevin Warren praised the trade. Poles did a tremendous job both getting the necessary value and not overpaying to make it happen.