NFL Execs Reveal How Board Likely Falls For Ryan Poles In 1st Round

GM Ryan Poles and his front office run several mock drafts every year. They do this to get a gauge of what the likeliest outcomes are in the 1st round, allowing them to prepare for every possible scenario. This is how they were able to project Rome Odunze would likely be available to them at #9 last year. They're undoubtedly going through the same preparations as the draft approaches this year. The obvious question for many is how the nine picks ahead of the Bears could unfold that Thursday night in Green Bay.

Mike Sando of The Athletic sought to understand it. He spoke with five different NFL executives about how the top 10 could unfold, and his results were eye-opening.

1. Titans - Cam Ward, QB, Miami
2. Browns - Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
3. Giants - Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
4. Patriots - Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
5. Jaguars - Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
6. Raiders - Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
7. Jets - Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
8. Panthers - Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
9. Saints - Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas

This brought everything to the Bears. In their eyes, the decision is an easy one. They will take the best offensive lineman on the board. Why? Namely it's because they feel head coach Ben Johnson is driving the personnel decisions now.

10. Chicago Bears: Will Campbell, OT, LSU

The Bears were fascinating for execs to handicap, on the assumption that new coach Ben Johnson will be a primary driver of decisions made atop the draft after six seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Not that we should expect the Bears to suddenly mirror Johnson’s former team, which used first-round picks on a linebacker (Jack Campbell) and running back (Jahmyr Gibbs) against expectations.

“Detroit had its offensive line already built,” an exec said.

Campbell was the choice here because he was still available the way things fell, but there were other options.

“Everything was about toughness and grit for Detroit,” the exec projecting Campbell to Detroit said. “The guard from Alabama (Tyler Booker) epitomizes that, but with Campbell still available, he’s a good choice for them.”

Most execs thought Chicago would prioritize its offensive line or pass rush here.

“They have to find a pass rusher,” another exec said. “I could see them making a play for Carter or one of those outside rushers.”

Ryan Poles would have followed the blueprint if this happened.

Remember, he came from Kansas City. In 2021, the Chiefs had serious offensive line issues. So they set about fixing it in an aggressive fashion. They traded for Orlando Brown, signed Joe Thuney in free agency, and drafted Creed Humphrey with their top pick. The Bears have already added Thuney and Jonah Jackson via trade. There is a strong probability they will go hunting for a center in free agency. The only spot left to address at that point would be left tackle. Despite ongoing questions about his shorter arms, Campbell was excellent at that spot for years with LSU.

If he and the others play up to their skillsets in 2025, the Bears offensive line may experience the greatest single-season turnaround in franchise history. Nobody can blame Ryan Poles for taking this approach. Caleb Williams is the golden ticket to contention for Chicago. That requires preserving him from too many sacks. Replacing four starters in one off-season would be insane. Yet Poles is already halfway there with free agency, and the draft is still to come.