Ryan Poles And Staff Hovered Around Notable Prospect At Senior Bowl

Ryan Poles has reiterated multiple times how much he likes the Senior Bowl. He is a big believer in the event and what it can do to help a team's draft evaluation process. His first class a year ago proved as much, with two of his first four picks being standouts from the event. Braxton Jones and Velus Jones Jr. both became immediate contributors to the team. It stands to reason he might see similar opportunities in this 2023 group. That is why Poles and his entourage were down at Mobile in full force for the action.

No doubt there were several names he came away impressed by. However, it appears at least one of them had his full attention. Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic hinted as much when he attended practices.

"In the Tuesday one-on-one pass-rush drills — which Poles, Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham and head coach Matt Eberflus watched together — Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz had one of the better sessions."

Michael Schmitz is widely regarded by many as the best center in this draft. He's got size, strength, athleticism and is one of the best pure technicians in the class. He is a bit on the older side, but nobody doubts he will be an immediate starter for anybody that drafts him. After enduring the Lucas Patrick and Sam Mustipher nightmare this season, it's not hard to understand Chicago's interest.

Ryan Poles appears focused on possible centers this off-season.

A source told SM that they've been doing a lot of homework on every notable free agent center, from Ethan Pocic to Garrett Bradbury. It isn't a stretch to think they've been doing the same with draft prospects. Michael Schmitz is exactly the kind of player they would like. Poles might've gotten some extra information through Luke Getsy. The young assistant worked with the center all week as his head coach and has personal connections with Michael Schmitz's coaches at Minnesota.

The challenge for Ryan Poles will be how to snag him. Current projections have the young center going somewhere in the late 1st to early 2nd rounds. His strong performance at the Senior Bowl makes one think the former is more possible. Yet even the latter is difficult for the Bears. They don't pick until the 54th spot of the 2nd round. This means they must find a way to get higher. That could be done by trading up or acquiring a pick in that range. Poles has some work to do if he wants to make this happen.