One thing about Ryan Poles during his stint as Chicago Bears GM is that he's not afraid to break barriers. In his brief time running the show, he has become one of the few general managers to trade the #1 overall pick in the draft and the only one in Bears history to utilize that same pick on a quarterback. He's also the first one to secure multiple 1st round picks in a single draft since 2003. One has to wonder if there are any other ways Poles could end up going against recent Bears history.
The short answer is yes.
Ask anybody what this team's priority is in the 2025 off-season, and they will say the offensive line. It's an open secret. Everybody expects Chicago to be aggressive in upgrading Caleb Williams' protection. That led to an interesting question. Have the Bears ever spent multiple high draft choices (i.e., 1st, 2nd, or 3rd rounders) in one draft on that position? Once. That came in 2002 when they selected Marc Colombo in the 1st round and Terrance Metcalf in the 3rd.
That means Poles could be about to break a streak that has stood for 23 years.
Ryan Poles must avoid what happened back then.
The heartbreaking part about that draft is that it almost could've been great. Colombo eventually became a quality offensive lineman in the NFL, but not in Chicago. His time with the Bears was marred by a series of brutal injuries that kept him out most of his first three seasons. Only after moving on to Dallas did he blossom into a good player. Worse still, five-time Pro Bowler Andre Gurode went a few picks later, early in the second round. Metcalf became a decent rotational player but nothing special.
Chicago has four picks in the first three rounds in this 2025 draft. It could become six if Ian Cunningham lands the Jacksonville Jaguars job, as many suspect. That means Ryan Poles will have a golden opportunity to land two talented blockers for his depleted offensive line. If he can somehow hit on both, the Bears will be set up for instant success next season. Jerry Angelo didn't quite hit the mark all those years ago. Maybe if he had events a few years later in Miami could've been different.
