The Chicago Bears won't tell anybody who they're drafting 10th overall in the draft this April. However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which way they're leaning. Based on obvious roster needs and the strength of the incoming class, it would be a genuine shock if GM Ryan Poles didn't take somebody in the trenches, be it an offensive blocker or a pass rusher. As for specifics, the Bears won't get into that. Or at least that was probably the plan before Poles opened his mouth.
He held his annual pre-scouting combine presser with the Chicago media on Tuesday, answering a wide range of questions. It was mostly benign, as he carefully avoided inflammatory comments. Still, he couldn't entirely avoid it. Right at the end of the presser, he was asked about the situation with Braxton Jones. The left tackle broke his leg last season and is recovering. Poles said the process was on schedule but threw in a telling comment.
The plan is for the Bears to bring in competition.
Ryan Poles can only address left tackle one way.
He already tried the draft with another mid-round pick, taking Kiran Amegadjie in the 3rd round last year. Nobody believes he is a serious threat to the job at this juncture. Free agency? That is possible, but the list of options isn't exactly rich. Ronnie Stanley, Cam Robinson, and Alaric Jackson seem like the only viable left tackle options. Stanley and Robinson are both in their 30s. Jackson is 26 but comes across as a one-year wonder this past season. One must not forget he was aided by playing for a great offensive mind like Sean McVay with a veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford knowing how to handle pressure.
The truth is those Ryan Poles comments suggest the Bears likely plan to attack left tackle at the top of the draft with that 10th overall pick. They already found their right tackle two years ago with Darnell Wright. There should be viable options on the board this year. Will Campbell of LSU, Kelvin Banks of Texas, and Josh Simmons of Ohio State are considered the best options. Armand Membou of Missouri is also a sleeper. If this is how it unfolds, it would mark the first time the Bears have drafted their left tackle of the future in the 1st round since 2008.
